


Water

by clevelandy



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: But it's man x animal, Harrys literally a mermaid thats scared of water, Historical Inaccuracy, I like this idea so much & I wish someone better at writing could've done this instead of me, If you are easily triggered by suicidal thoughts then i strongly suggest that you dont read this, M/M, Mermaid!Harry, Multiple Suicide Attempts, Other, Pirate!louis - Freeform, The chapters are short believe me I hate it too, The violence is mild, Violence is not between harry and Louis, and louis got mutinied by his ship, bc I know if I thought the violence was between Harry & Louis i would be like yikes gotta go, but they're less dramatic & more louis is lazy, due to the aforementioned reasons & the mild violence, i out the violence tag bc i really dont want unstable people reading this, if you are triggered by starvation/, ok that's enough tags, or you are struggling w an eating disorder then i STRONGLY suggest you dont read this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2018-05-21 01:12:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6032680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clevelandy/pseuds/clevelandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis never planned on becoming a pirate</p><p>He never planned on becoming Captain of the infamous Sea Stag, dubbing him the name Black Stag. He never planned to climb to the top of the ladder of the most feared pirates in the sea. He didn't plan on being known and feared so deeply whenever he took port in a town. He didn't plan on being idolized as a king, a god even, by anyone who crossed his path.</p><p>and he didn't plan on being mutinied by his own crew, left on a deserted island with nothing but the clothes on his back and a gun loaded with a single bullet; watching the slow, painful departure of his beloved ship.</p><p>or the one where Louis is the most feared pirate in the world (by default) and Harry is the only mermaid in the world that's afraid of water</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you know me then you should've been expecting a pirate fic
> 
> I own nothing, i know nothing, i am nothing. I'm not responsible for those who ignore warnings and are made uncomfortable by this fic. If you know me i do not want my birth name associated with this fic. This should never be intentionally shared w the boys or anyone related to them, nor should this fic be referenced to or shared anywhere outside of Ao3, Tumblr, twitter or Instagram. This should not be reposted without my permission. This is just a story loosely based on personas which I imagine in my head/adopt from other fics & the slightest of knowledge on pirates and mermaids. Feel free to comment with advice or opinions as I'm less of the "author" type and more of the "privileged teenager" type. Also recognize that I am So Paraniod

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go  
> WARNING: This chapter includes a suicide attempt immediately literally brace yourself its right there

**_Day One_**. 

Louis never planned on becoming a pirate

He never planned on becoming Captain of the infamous Sea Stag, dubbing him the name Captain Black Stag. He never planned to climb to the top of the ladder of the most feared pirates in the sea. He didn't plan on being known and feared so deeply whenever he took port in a town. He didn't plan on being idolized as a king, a god even, by anyone who crossed his path.

And he didn't plan on being betrayed by his own crew, left on a deserted island with nothing but the clothes on his back and a gun loaded with a single bullet; watching the slow, painful departure of his beloved ship.

He cursed under his breath, kicking a mound of sand, then another, and another. It wasn't until he was out of breath that he fell to his knees, overcome with tears. His ship was out of sight at that point- hidden by  the horizon, pink with the rising sun. 

He closed his eyes, chest puffing dramatically as he grabbed his hat and set it to his chest. His fingers twitched and he nodded as if speaking to them like they needed further instruction than his simple decision. He rose the gun, barrel set to the side of his forehead and-

Singing.

For a moment, Louis truly believed that he was in heaven. But the thought was dismissed quickly, as what pirate would ever be permitted entrance in _heaven._ No. The voice, angelic but definitely not feminine, came from earth. 

Louis' eyes opened quickly. Another voice meant that the island on which he sat was not deserted. He could be saved.

He rose from the ground, gun finding its way back into its holster and hat back to his head, and began to run in the direction of the singing.

From what he could tell, the beach was shallow, but the island was large. A short stretch of sand bordering a thick jungle. It seemed one of the places that Louis had read about in primary school, when piracy seemed more of an amazing adventure than a gruesome lifestyle. A small line of palm trees jutting out from the jungle is where Louis stopped running, arms wrapping halfway around one of the trees as he paused to compose himself. He had to be ready for any situation, whether it be begging or instilling fear on whoever dare sing just beyond the trees. 

He leaned to the side, eyes immediately picking up the unnatural shape on the beach. There lie a man with flowing brown hair. He was shirtless from the waist up, but from the waist down..

Louis' eyes widened, quickly concealing himself behind the tree. Mermaids were evil creatures, sent in order to punish the most evil of men. They tricked sailors with their beauty before dragging them to the bottom of the ocean and tearing them apart. A single glimpse of a mermaid and one would find himself overcome with bad luck, drawn by celestial forces to the location of the same mermaid time and time again, until finally the Mermaid would have its meal. The only escape was to kill it before it killed you. 

Quick pirate's impulse is what caused Louis to come out from behind the tree, gun raised as he slowly approached the mermaid.

_"Come all you young sailormen, listen to me_

_I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea, and its..._

_Windy weather boys, stormy weather, boys_

_When the wind blows were all together, boys_

_Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds blow_

_Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes"_  


Louis couldn't see his face directly, but he could tell that the Mermaid was smiling through his song. Louis' felt as though his stomach had rose to his throat. 

A good man's heart is what caused Louis to call out, "Hey!" A mere five feet away from the mermaid.

It turned, eyes wide and horrified. Hesitant for only a moment, the mermaid bared its fangs, looking from Louis to the water as if wondering which fate would be worse. With grace as mysterious as that of a snake, it was gone, sinking into the water and swimming away. 

All the while, Louis stood frozen, gun still raised as he watched the creature escape. It wasn't until the water stilled that he finally relaxed, arms falling limp at his sides. "Green eyes," he thought, still staring at the water, "Same color as his tail." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: dehydration & starvation

**_Day Two_ **

Building camp wasn't easy. In fact, it was the opposite. After his encounter with the mermaid, Louis found himself so overcome with exhaustion, whether it be from anxiety, grief or dehydration, that he simply lay there and went directly to sleep. He was partially  confident that the mermaid would not return, as it had seemed absolutely terrified by his presence (although part of Louis felt as though he had heard the voice again in his sleep, but he pushed those thoughts from his head), and partially too exhausted to anything else. 

When he woke, it was well into the next day. The blistering sun irritating his already reddened skin told him that it was near noon. He sat up, blinking away the grogginess. He was alone still, whether that was lucky or unlucky. So, since he couldn't kill himself, he figured he might as well work on living. 

He stood, wobbling slightly, yet driven by the idea of water and the possibility of food. After only a day, Louis' mouth was dry and his lips were cracking. He knew that he was experiencing early signs of dehydration, and that if he didn't find water soon that he would be in serious trouble. 

Upon standing, Louis noticed that his clothes were damp. Unless his entire body had sweat through his  jacket, Louis reasoned that it must have rained while he slept. The idea was promising.

He studied his surroundings. Surely, something must have collected water aside from the puddles on the ground. The leaves of palm trees surrounding him had a shape which wasn't promising for collecting water on their own, but flat leaved ferns surrounding them, upon inspection, had enough water for him to lick up. 

"Water." He mumbled to himself, trying to recall any nature survival texts he had read as a child. "Check. Shelter?" Louis looked up. The sun had already burned his skin, more damage could potentially kill him. Not to mention, aside from the mermaid, Louis had no clue what creatures inhabited the jungle. 

"The mermaid won't do shit," he reasoned to himself, already plucking down giant palms from the shortest trees. "So I'll stay on the beach. No need to get myself killed in there." 

Now, Louis was nothing special when it came to living outdoors. While he could run a ship like a dream ( or so he thought until his crew committed mutiny), he was more of the indoors type. Therefore causing Louis' chest to fill with pride at the makeshift shelter he managed to create. It was nothing more than that- simple shelter, composed of sticks tied together with seaweed and palms layed over it. But Louis was proud nonetheless. 

By the time he completed it, the sun had already sunk a considerable amount. He considered making a fire, as it would ward off interested animals and possibly create a signal for nearby shops, but a voice in the back of his mind told him not to. Man-made light attracts mermaids. 

He fought with himself on that one for a considerable amount of time, but ultimately it came down to this: nightfall would be in less than an hour and he didn't want to go searching for material now. 

"Not scared of any fucking mermaid," he mumbled to himself as he climbed into his shelter, "What's it gonna do while I'm on land? Spit at me?" It was rhetorical, but Louis answered his own question.

The mermaid was beautiful, as all mermaids were, and Louis was not an exceptionally strong man when it came to beauty. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: starvation & surprise another suicide attempt
> 
> Research I've done has told me that people can go 3-5 weeks before starvation kills them (and a couple days before the symptoms settle in). Since Louis is small and has a low amount of body fat he'd last more around the 3 week area. You feel.
> 
> I'm trying to update about a couple times a week! So i hope you enjoy and leave kudos and comments and all that jazz. Thank you very much for reading.

**_Day Three_ **

The next morning his stomach was rumbling. Literally, seriously rumbling. He felt as if the island itself was shaking with hunger. 

Standing up with a groan, Louis tried to remember the last time he was so hungry.

As a very successful pirate, he never went more than a day without a meal. But Louis hadn't always been a pirate.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts, stretching out his arms and legs as he looked to the sky. It was a clear day, not a cloud in sight. Good for a day at sea, bad when Louis and his makeshift leaf bowl (which sat conveniently just outside his shelter) depended on rain water. 

He looked down then, inspecting his own body for signs of change. He could swear that he was skinnier, arms smaller, clothes loose,  wasting away with every second. 

Dramatic as he was, he truly did need to find food. So he began to look. 

His first destination was the jungle. Not wanting to get lost or eaten by whatever animal lurked inside, Louis decided to stay only a couple rows of trees away from his camp.

The jungle air was thick with moisture, the ground thick with plants. Louis struggled with every carefully placed step, eyes to the sky in desperate search for fruit. Or something. Not even a rustle of bushes informed him of animals nearby. Whether he was scaring them away or they weren't there, there was absolutely nothing that Louis could safely eat.

He had truly believed that he would simply stumble upon a tree full of fresh fruit. Maybe he'd trip on an old storage cell filled with rum. Or a dead pig would present itself to him (in which case he'd demand to be referred to as Captain of the Flies). But none of those things happened. 

The only thing he could see was green. Green green green. In any other time or place he'd feel blessed to witness such a thing. Such an array of plant life, completely untouched by any man before himself. It was beautiful. But green was what made his stomach growl. He wished for yellow. Or pink. Or, god bless,  _red._

What felt like days went by of Louis practically crawling through the vines and trees. He was beginning to lose hope. He just wanted to find _something:_ some sign of life. The sun was beginning to appear lower and lower between cracks in the thick brush of the jungle. He paused to catch his breath and gather his thoughts, his throat tightening with the prospect of tears.

He couldn't help but remember the mermaid. Was this the bad luck which would force him to fling himself into the grasp of his fangs?

His thoughts were distracted by the sound of sudden movement in the trees.

He turned quickly, squinting in the area where he heard leaves rustle. His heart began to pound, unable to find what he had heard, until finally his eyes landed on a large structure lounging in a tree. 

Yellow.

A leopard. 

He turned immediately, jumping over the nearest log and stumbling over the next. He was prepared for the sharp pounce of the big cat at any second. He waited, even wished for his speedy death.

But it didn't come. The leopard must not have seen him, or it didn't see Louis as worth the chase. 

He collapsed onto the sand in front of his shelter, shaking violently.

That night, he made a fire.

**_Day Five_ **

The true effects of starvation began to hit when Louis reached five days on the island. Aside from an angry stomach, he was truly exhausted. His arms and legs felt weak, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to travel inside the jungle. Nor would he be able to outrun a leopard. 

So he tried something else. 

He had found a relatively sharp stick  one day and brought it back to camp in order to possibly create a weapon. A sharp rock and stick weren't very meaningful weapons, but it didn't take much to kill a fish, he figured.

He stood in the water, calf deep. Any mermaid fears had been dispelled ages ago (he'd been in the same spot for days now. If the mermaid wanted to kill him it should've done it already). Besides, it felt nice to be wet. It felt clean and it felt alive.

The thought of protein brought joy into his heart. He even removed his shirt and trousers, using sea water to wash some. He hadn't seen his own reflection in days, but he could just make out that his beard was getting long. Even his hair could use a trim. He washed that as well.

After washing, he felt much better. He stood frozen in place, eyes trained on the water which settled around his legs. He figured that the fish would get used to him quickly. Sometime soon a fish would swim by and he would be able to strike with his spear.

The next two hours, of course, were spent in vain. Practically no fish even came near the island, and what did was too fast for Louis to catch.

He couldn't help but wonder what was keeping them away. 

**_Day Fifteen_**

After his fifth day, Louis began to deteriorate quickly. He left camp for a less and less amount of time each day, until finally he wasn't able to leave.

It was then that Louis decided to kill himself. But his arm was too tired to hold up the gun. So he went to sleep instead. 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise things are short for dramatic effect and im updating like three chapters at a time to make up for it

**_Day Twenty Two_ **

Louis woke up. He wasn't sure why he was awake, why he was even still alive. And yet, he opened his eyes, disoriented entirely. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know how long he had been asleep. He couldn't remember his first name.

The hunger had taken a significant toll on Louis. Body seriously thinned, hair falling out, eyes sunken in. If he looked bad, internally he was ten times worse. 

When the body doesn't receive protein it takes it from itself. His arm muscles were the first to go. Then his legs. Until Louis simply couldn't stand. 

His brain- so focused on maintaining vitals that complete exhaustion struck. Unable to think, unable to speak, unable to groan for help or in pure desperation. Instead. he slept and slept and slept. He might as well have been dead.

But after everything, there it was. A group of bananas. Sitting outside his shelter as if it had been waiting for him all along. 

He reached for it, he really did. But he couldn't reach it. He couldn't get up, and if he could then his arms would be too weak to grab them. They shook violently at his simple reach. 

He wanted to cry. But he was too tired. So he went back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Day Twenty Five** _

He smelled bananas.

"You have to eat"

Louis was angry. He shouldn't have been awoken. He was dead. He had peacefully died of starvation on a deserted island and it was rude to wake the dead to try to feed them bananas. 

Besides. He couldn't open his mouth. He was tired. 

"C'mon. I know you're not dead. You cant die. You cant. Please try."

So he did. 

Practically his entire body, mostly bones at this point, shook as he tried to open his mouth. It was the hardest thing he'd had to do in his life. But then his mouth was open and he was fully aware that he had the worst morning breath in probably the entire world.

But then a piece banana was placed in his mouth and he was preoccupied with the problem of chewing. Which he did very little of before swallowing it. It was the heaviest and most flavorful banana in the entire world and sunk to the bottom of his stomach. He needed more.

His mouth opened again and another piece of banana was placed in his mouth. He chewed this one more thoroughly before swallowing. 

He wanted more, but the voice didn't give him anything else. Louis was partially grateful. He was tired.

He went back to sleep, never having opened his eyes. 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ive been very busy (and had a mild case of writers block) but now im sick, and when's a better time to write than when you're sick?

_**Day Thirty Five - Thirty Six**_

 

He was floating, floating, _floating..._

_Nothing had ever been softer. He lay on a cloud, the whitest cloud, consisting of the softest strands of silk woven together. The cloud wrapped around him, holding him securely as they rode through the sky._

_He felt no more hunger, no more pain, he sensed no more danger. Completely at peace, Louis allowed himself to relax. There was a familiarity in the gradual rocking of his cloud, almost as if he was at sea- and then he was._

_He leaned over the edge of the cloud, and suddenly he was on his ship. White clouds high in the sky, the water clear and land just at the horizon. The ship was buzzing with activity, and there at the main deck stood Louis, blinking in confusion. His crew ran back and forth, smiles on their faces and casual work songs floating up in the air. Upon closer inspection, Louis realized that they weren't his crew at all, but his family, happily running his ship._

_His head was swimming, but he felt overcome with joy. He was home._

_Louis got to work. Ordering his sisters. Teaching the younger ones to tie knots. He relished in the way the floor beneath his bare feet felt soft to the touch._

Why were his feet bare? He'd get splinters on his toes.

_His mother needed help with the sails. He left his sisters to run to her, quickly taking the load of ropes off her shoulders, pulling them alongside her to let the sail fly into the air. She was smiling, warm as the sun, smiling and laughing at the joke Louis had just made._

What joke? What had he just said? Why was his mother on his ship? His mother had died years ago. 

_Something- someone was calling to him; he didn't want to leave his mother, but the voice.. it was so beautiful. His name was never spoken, but the voice.. it needed him to come to the edge of the ship. He turned to his mother, but she was gone. His sisters were gone. The sun was high in the sky. He felt his shoulders burning at its intensity, unprotected by the lack of clouds._

_Still, he felt unbothered. There was the voice. There was his cloud of a ship. He walked to the edge of the boat, the voice growing louder as he leaned over the edge.  It was then that he realized it was singing:_

**_Up jumps the eel with his slippery tail,_ **

**_Climbs up aloft and reefs the topsail,_ **

**_and it's..._ **

**_Windy weather boys, stormy weather, boys_ **

**_When the wind blows we're all together, boys_ **

**_Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow_ **

**_Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes_ **

_Louis tilted his head, wind blowing his fringe from his face. He was unable to see who was singing, but he knew he'd heard the song before. It was quite a delightful song. He loved seeing the fish of the sea ever since he was a child._

Nobody should be singing from the ocean. Back away from the edge. 

_He leaned his entire upper body outside of the ship as he stood on his toes. The sea water sprayed at his face, causing him to laugh and squint his eyes. It was then that he saw the long brown hair of the vocalist, far, far down in the water._

**_Then up jumps the shark with his nine rows of teeth_ **

**_Saying, "You eat the dough boys, and I'll eat the beef!"_ **

_Louis was falling, falling falling from the ship. His arms and legs flailed, stomach contorting as he let out a bone-chilling shriek. He was dying, dying, dying._

**_and it's..._ **

**_Windy weather  boys, stormy weather, boys_ **

**_When the wind blows we're all together, boys_ **

**_Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow_ **

**_Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes_ **

_His head hit the water first,_ and that's when he woke up. 

 

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

_**Day Thirty Six** _

Louis wasn't entirely sure when the last time he stood up was, but there was a fish outside of his shelter. 

He jumped up suddenly, ignoring his legs' protest at the sudden movement. There it was, a fish, an actual fish. It looked as if it had been gutted and cleaned already, and when he picked it up there appeared to be holes going straight through its body.

"How strange," He thought aloud, setting the fish back down, turning to the forest to grab the first dry sticks he could find, bringing them back to his pre-made fire site.

It wasn't until the fire was lit and the fish was being roasted on a stick that he allowed himself to think about it (out loud, of course. He hadn't spoken to anyone in over a month. He was  _just_ beginning to get lonely). 

"Who killed you, fish?" he mused, before making a face. He didn't want to speak to his food, but who else would he talk to? "I mean, not that I'm complaining. I truly appreciate it. Y'see I haven't been getting much meat recently, not sure if you can tell by the clear outline of my ribs." He glanced down to his own body, sighing at its depressing appearance.

"Y'know, I used to be quite the looker 'fore all this." He grumbled, turning the fish to its opposite side. "'nough of that! Back to the question at hand. What killed you?" He lifted the fish from the fire, squinting at it in the light of the evening sun. Clouds littered the sky and a light breeze occasionally flickered his fire, making it even harder to see, but it was obvious that there were three large holes punctured into the fish's side. 

"Could it've been a bird?" He asked, replacing the fish to its spot on the fire. "But why would the bird leave it here?"

Part of him knew he was avoiding the answer, but the other part of him was louder.

"I probly moved in my sleep, yeah?" He nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Probly scared th' poor sucker away."

He fell silent then, busying himself with preparing the fish before eating it. His eyes were on the falling sun as he ate, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to avoid thinking about his first dream in the month, the fact that a fish was casually sitting outside his shelter, the fact that his mouth vaguely tasted of bananas, and the fact that he  _wasn't dead._

While still exhausted, it took him a long time to fall asleep that night because he was so busy trying to not hear the singing outside his shelter (which he insisted was a mix of madness and the wind).

_****I wanna build you a boat._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos! I really appreciate it. Here's to another nightmare.  
> Also I realize that you probably can't see the ocean from Doncaster but this is fiction and a boy can dream

_**Day Thirty Six  - Day Thirty Seven** _

_Once, as a child, Louis asked why the ocean was blue. His uncle, clad physically in the most expensive of robes, and mentally with the finest education Doncaster had to offer, was the only one to answer with anything other than, "because God willed it so."_

_"Look at this glass," his uncle had said, holding a glass of water to the young boy, who peered inside eagerly, "Not blue, yes? Looks gold, like the cup, doesn't it."_

_Louis had nodded eagerly, fringe flopping excitedly. His uncle was not the duke, as his father was, but Louis respected him more than even the king of England. People often told Louis that he was just like his uncle. He had his feathered hair, blue eyes and humor. He had never married; he was the only nobleman whom Louis knew as unmarried. He was different, strange in the most wonderful way. Louis would follow him to the end of the earth._

_But now, his uncle simply led him to the balcony, hand placed at his shoulder in a fatherly gesture._

_"Now look. What color is the sky? Grey. And is the ocean not grey today? Now look as far as you can, as far as the sky goes." Louis did so, squinting and leaning over the edge as far as he could without losing his balance. He could see that the sea and the sky met at a point, and informed his uncle of this._

_"Exactly my boy. The ocean and the sky meet; they consist of the same materials. The sea is heaven, and heaven is the sea. So when the sky is grey, the ocean is grey. And when the sky is blue, the ocean is blue. But when men remove water from the sky, it loses its color, loses its value." He said._

_Louis was mystified by his words. It made sense, of course. Why wouldn't the sky be connected to the ocean? He could see it now; he could see it when it rained._

_Louis raised his eyes to the sky. The clouds were disappearing as if God himself was plucking them from it. He looked down quickly, surprised to see the ocean a dark, dark blue._

_"Uncle, look!" He exclaimed, turning to share his excited revelation._

_His uncle lay crumpled on the ground, stilled by death. At the other end of the gun stood Louis' father, eyes red with fury._

_"You are a disgrace," He spat, raising his gun to aim it at his only son. Louis couldn't move, frozen at the balcony._

_There was a bang, and Louis was falling, falling, falling, once again._

_He fell straight down and landed in the ocean with a wide splash._

_Louis did not stop falling. He did not float, he sunk, sunk to the bottom of the ocean._

_Still, Louis could not move._

_His panicking mind tried to tell his limbs to move, to swim to safety, but he did nothing of the sort. He simply fell, eyes darting side to side as the water became denser. He was aware of the sea life surrounding him, flashing out of his way as he entered the water. Schools of fish encircled and watched him; Dolphins did nothing to help him._

_It wasn't until his back touched the ocean floor that he realized he was still breathing. Breathing in the thick blue water as if it was the purest of air. He still felt alive._

_He lay still, taking deep, heaving breaths. Large groups of fish gathered around him, watching him curiously and turning to each other as if saying, "What the fuck is this guy doing."_

_Louis was sure he lay there for an hour at least, doing nothing but watching the fish watch him. Some swam away while others joined the viewing group. It was like he was an accident on the street, gawked at but not helped._

_"What the hell is all this?" A voice boomed. His uncle! Louis' heart swelled with the prospect of being saved. His uncle hadn't been killed! He was saved!_

_It was not his uncle which parted the group of fish, bursting through them like a rock star with trident in hand._

_"What the hell are you doing here?"  The mermaid commanded, moving closer and closer to Louis until his face was inches away._

_Louis still couldn't move. So the mermaid grabbed him._

_He expected to disintegrate at first touch. If not that, he expected the mermaid to be overcome with violent rage and tear him limb from limb._

_But the mermaid did none of that. He simply grabbed Louis by the hand and began to swim upwards._

_Fish scattered as if they were scolded children, too scared to stick around for when their father finished taking out the trash. Louis watched the sea fall away with a slight twinge of shame, maybe even sadness, in his gut._

_"Don't wanna leave," Louis managed to whisper, but the mermaid didn't listen. They had reached the surface, and the mermaid tossed Louis on the sand as if he were a feather._

_"You don't belong here," he mumbled. And then the mermaid was gone, and Louis was alone. There was not a cloud in site._


	9. Chapter 9

**Day _Thirty Seven_** __

There were two fish outside his shelter the next day, and Louis pounced on them like a stray cat. He lifted them from the ground and hugged them to his chest, gleefully calling a thank you up to the heavens.

"Oh god, thank you. If I make it out of this I will be the most holy pirate in the seven seas," He exclaimed, raising the fish up to the  sky. 

He stood then, legs creaking (only slightly!) and eyes squinting at the morning sun. He felt so much stronger than he did earlier in the week, even stronger than he did yesterday. "It must be the meat," he smiled, looking down to them, held protectively in his palms.

It was this glance downward that made Louis notice something in the sand. His brow furrowed as his attention changed, fish almost completely forgotten as he let them drop back to the sand.

There were strange markings in the sand. The wind often created random mounds and lines in the ground, but this was different. A long, randomly curving line led up to Louis' shelter, turned in a half circle and then head back in the direction of the water. 

Louis swallowed harshly, standing up again. He began to follow the markings, hoping, even praying, that they would break off before he reached the water and Louis would realize he was being irrational.

They did not break off. In fact, as he got closer the water they appeared even clearer. 

"Wow," He laughed incredulously, running his hand through his mopped hair. "How strange. Big sea snake. Must've tried to get to my fish."

He was going to turn back around. He was going to try to deny any thought other than the presence of a sea snake. A damn old bird kept dropping fish outside his shelter and a snake tried to come get them but he scared both of them away with his twig-like arms and dirty beard. 

And that was fine. People believed crazier things. Louis could believe that. Louis could deny the singing he'd heard, the mermaid-tail-shaped tracks in the ground, he could deny the strange food outside his shelter. He could deny just about anything.

But he could not deny the unmistakable hand mark in the ground, long fingers pressed to flat sand obviously to pull the mermaid forward. 

And he couldn't deny the green scale stuck in the sand. Louis had only seen that shade of green once before. 

Louis did not eat the fish. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comic relief ft rising action?

**Day** _**Thirty Eight** _

There were four fish outside his shelter the next day. The fish from the previous day along with two fresh ones.

Louis frowned and rose from his shelter. He would not eat the fish. No matter how hungry he was. He would not let the mermaid... help him.

"Why the hell would it want to help me?!" He shouted to the fish, arms crossed over his chest. He tried to kill the mermaid. Mermaids were evil. It didn't add up. 

He picked up the fish and threw them across the beach, but they only landed about three feet away. But whatever, he had made his point. 

He'd rather die of starvation than let the mermaid fatten him up before eating him. That was cruel, disgusting. He was a pirate, but even a pirate didn't deserve that. 

Louis drank some of his storaged rainwater and went back to bed.

_**Day Thirty Nine** _

There were six fish the next day. Louis threw those too. Went back to sleep.

 ** _Day Forty_**  

Eight fish. Eight new fish. He was glad the mermaid switched out the old ones, they were beginning to smell. So, Louis didn't throw them. Besides, he was getting tired again. Instead, he wrote:

_I'd rather die_

_**Day Forty One**  _

There was an actual, literal frowny face drawn in the ground (Along with nine new fish). Louis was enraged.

Emotionally, he'd rather die than eat the fish, but his physical being seemed really upset with him for leaving perfectly good food unattended, and told him so with constant stomach aches and growling. 

So he cooked and ate one fish. Only one fish. He left the bones next to the rest of the fish and didn't write a message in response.

He couldn't believe he was practically talking to a mermaid. How cruel could it be? Playing this game with Louis before killing him.

Louis went to sleep with his gun in hand. 

**_Day Forty Four_ **

Louis didn't bother to leave his  shelter for the next three days.

Aside from reaching out to grab his water and peeing out a hole he'd made in the back of his shelter, he did very little. 

He realized he was being childish, and that there were fish piling up outside his shelter, but he wasn't going to give the mermaid the satisfaction. If he wanted to kill him, he'd have to deal with him being skinny as hell.

"I'll be a meal," he kept mumbling to himself, "but I won't be a good one." 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an author I should be like, ah yes I am an artist this is my art please appreciate it. But I'm more like, I rewrote a chapter 20 times and I still hate it. But you might feel differently so enjoy

_**Day Forty Five** _

"Y'know, where I come from, it's really rude to deny food from your host."

Louis tilted his head, confusedly blinking away the sleep. He was still dreaming some weird ass shit, apparently. Luckily, he couldn't remember who was talking in the dream. 

"Especially if you're starving to death. I mean, maybe you're not a big fan of fish. But this is my home you're intruding on and you should at least show some respect." 

Louis probably jumped about ten feet into the air, knocking over his shelter and his makeshift bowl of water in the process. Gun already in hand, he spun around in attempt to find the speaker.

"Like, c'mon Louis. What if I came to ingredland and was like, 'no, sir. I would not like tea and crumpets. In fact, I'd rather die of starvation on a deserted island.'" The mermaid was completely unfazed by Louis' outburst. It lounged lazily next to Louis' uneaten pile of fish, holding Itself up with hands planted in the sand while its tail flopped up and down casually. "I'm sure you can understand why I'm upset."

"How...H-how do you know my name." Louis demanded, gun shaking in his hands. 

"What? Oh you sleep talk. And you talk to yourself while you're awake. You know that."

The mermaid was smiling casually, and Louis wished he could say that he wasn't struck by its relaxed beauty. Long brown hair curled around Its shoulders, bright green eyes and deeply red lips broke apart its otherwise pale face. Honestly, its eyebrows alone were enough to give Louis wet dreams for a month. But then there was so much more. Louis wanted to touch it. But it was as if the mermaid could read his thoughts. 

"Ah ah ah, stop those heart eyes. Don't even know my name, love. And you're pointing that thing at me. What's it called?" The mermaid reached out as if wanting to grab for the gun, but Louis snatched his hand away quickly, taking a step back for fear that the mermaid would touch him.

"'S a gun." He mumbled, eyes fixed on the creature's large hand. "I could kill you if I wanted to, y'know." He added quickly, raising the gun to suggest it. 

The mermaid smiled, almost apologetically, "But you don't want to. So I'm not too worried. What I am worried about is that you aren't eating. It took me days to get you back when you stopped eating before. Why won't you eat the fish I'm bringing you?" It was entirely unfazed by everything going on; moving, talking and even breathing slowly, as if this was something it did all the time. Louis, on the other hand was breathing rapidly, and his entire body was shaking visibly. 

Louis wanted to protest with his first statement, but he was already lowering his gun, hooking it safely in the waistband of his pants. 

"Y-you're bringing me the fish?" He said dumbly. The mermaid let out a sigh, rolling its eyes. 

"Oh, no. It's a bird, right? A bird is dropping fish outside your little nest so you don't starve to death." 

Louis paled. How long had the mermaid been watching him? The mermaid seemed to notice, expression softening. 

"I bet you have a lot of questions. But I'm not going to answer any of them unless you eat." It said softly, offering a small smile.

Louis really wanted to argue with the mermaid. Every fiber in his being told him to shoot the monster before it managed to seduce him into something awful. But when he looked into its wide green eyes he felt calm, calmer than he had since getting to the island- since he was a child, really. Something about the mermaid made him want to trust it. Part of him knew that that was the seductive nature of the monster, but another part of him really wanted to follow its suggestions. 

Besides, he thought, I'm going to die either way.  

So, under the careful stare of the emerald beast, Louis scooped up the pile of fish in his arms and carried them over to his fire. With shaking hands, old sticks and some rocks Louis made a small fire and began to cook the fish.

Louis was startled when the mermaid dragged itself over with a strange grace (of course), and sat down on the opposite side of the fire. It was early evening, but the sun had fallen enough where the fire threw dangerous shadows over the mermaid's face. It was staring at the fire as if it thirsted for it, which prompted Louis' first question.

"Don't you need water to survive?" He asked, the breaking of silence visibly startling the mermaid. 

"No," It said, shaking it's head slowly, "Well, yeah. Like it's easier to move underwater, with the tail and all. But I can go a couple days before I start to get dehydrated. I breathe air though." It seemed to hesitate before nodding, and if Louis wanted to press on the subject he wouldn't know what to ask. 

Besides, his fish was ready. 

He wasn't sure if the mermaid would be upset by him eating a fish -since it is a fish, but he was also really hungry. And if it didn't want him eating fish then it shouldn't have brought him them. Regardless, he tried to avoid eye contact as he began to eat, but when he looked up the mermaid seemed unfazed, deep in thought as it looked out to the water. Louis, however, was visibly uncomfortable, shifting his body every few moments, even subconsciously leaning away from the mermaid. He was genuinely scared, terrified even, of what the mermaid would do, and he partially hoped that it would just kill him already.

"Um.. Do you have a name?" Louis asked quietly after a while. The mermaid looked at him, surprise written on its face. 

"They used to call me Harry," it said, obviously not willing to give up more information oh that story. Louis simply nodded.

"Louis. But you know that." The mermaid nodded, looking at the fire as if it was ashamed. Louis didn't like how it was looking; it shouldn't be sad. So he raised the stick which he had been eating the fish from.

"Do you eat fish? Do you want some?" He asked, mouth contorting into something between a smile and a grimace. The mermaid blinked, watching him for a moment before breaking out into loud, deep laughter which shook Louis' insides. 

"You're the first man I've met who's scared of me. Wise man you are, I suppose, but there's no need." It said, raising its hand and shaking its head. "Yes, my people eat fish, but I'm a vegetarian" It spoke matter-of-factly, as if the simple word would calm Louis' fears. But Louis didn't know what a vegetarian was. 

He fell silent, nodding instead of questioning it, and finished eating his fish. He hesitated when he finished, unsure if it would be healthy to eat another, but ultimately decided that he needed the meat. The mermaid was watching him at this point, a hint of mirth in the sparkle of his eye.

"It means I don't eat meat." Harry said, even slower than he usually spoke. Louis furrowed his eyebrows, picking at the meat of the second fish. 

"The wolf doesn't tell the rabbit that she's his next meal." He mumbled lowly, eyes narrowed as looked up to the mermaid. Louis hated near-death experiences, but he hated liars even more. It did nothing more than roll its eyes. 

"Even if i did eat meat, why would I want to eat you?" It laughed shortly, gesturing towards Louis' body. Louis couldn't help but notice the gleam of his fangs, illuminated by the dull fire. "You're nothing but skin, bones and hair." 

Honestly, Louis didn't mean to get offended. He didn't consider himself a sensitive man, but here was this beautiful _thing._ Not only did it refuse to admit that it was preparing him for a meal, but it also didn't even bother to try to flatter him. In every tale Louis had ever heard, mermaids killed men with kindness -literally. But here Louis was, already infatuated with this creature who didn't make a shred of an effort.

"I don't want your  _help. "_  He spit suddenly, standing up and throwing his stick to the ground. The mermaid's eyes widened, quickly sitting up to attention. "I want you to leave. I don't want to see you again. I'd rather die from hunger than die from your hand."

It looked as if it wanted to argue with him, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, but then decided against it. It nodded, wetting its lips quickly before turning away. 

"Well, good luck, then." It said, and then it was gone.

Louis had always thought that hearing the mermaid singing at night was the most bone chilling experience. But that night, nothing was worse than the silence. 


	12. Chapter 12

_**year ???** _

Harry was frustrated.

He didn't remember being so stubborn and unreasonable when he was a human, but he supposed that that was long ago. Maybe the human race had changed

Or maybe Louis was the most infuriating creature on the planet.

Usually, Harry lived out his days as an inhabitant of Rose Island. He spent his days lounging on the beach, dragging himself through the forest, making friends with the animals. It was a wonderful existence. But that wasn't the point.

Rose Island was Harry's island. He hadn't created it or anything, but he might as well have. 

See, there was something unique about Harry, being a mermaid and all. He had a terrible fear of the ocean- water in general, really. Now for a mortal, this is not a problem. He would simply avoid the ocean. But for Harry, it wasn't so simple. 

He was a fucking mermaid.

The tail alone eternally bound Harry  to the ocean, not to mention the fact that he'd be killed if he spent more than three days away from the water. 

So, Rose Island was the best place for him. Large enough to be an escape, small enough where he could always get to the water if needed. The shallow water surrounding the island was deep enough for him to swim in, but shallow enough to avoid panic attacks. Not to mention it was hundreds of miles away from the nearest Mermaid Colony (the whole, 'I don't want to eat any more sailors they taste funny and it makes me cry when they scream' and 'I don't really like the ocean it gives me pimples and crippling anxiety' thing didn't really go down well with his, or any other, colony). He was alone and at peace in the world on Rose Island. It was almost as if he had actually reached Heaven after death, instead of the sea.

But then Louis showed up. 

Harry knew right away when Louis reached the island. He watched the whole dramatic suicide attempt and  secretive attack on Harry. He had fully intended to welcome Louis with open arms and a nice song. 

Until Louis started yelling and screaming and pointing 'gone's at him. 

Harry had forgotten that he was supposed to be a murderous creature, and that's what any sailor would know him as. So, in the heat of the moment he escaped to a hidden section of the island. 

At first, he planned to avoid Louis at all costs. He kept on his side of the island and lived off good bananas, good songs  and good vibes. But something in the back of his mind kept bringing him back to the rugged man on the other side of the island. 

It took him a while of avoiding the thought of the beautifully rugged sailor to understand why his moral senses were tingling. He knew that there was no food on that side of the island,  or any other side of the island except for a small group of trees near a bubbling waterfall. And Louis had never made the trip. 

In fact, Louis wouldn't know how to get to that side. Rose Island in itself was a mystery; there were spectacular little sections which took ages to discover. The jungle had magic infused within its roots- at least that's what Harry thought- because you had to look just right, or your be completely flipped around.

If Harry could barely get through, how was some rotten mortal supposed to?

So, he decided to help him out. With a bushel of bananas tied to his back and a leaf as a makeshift truce flag he made his way back to Louis.

But it appeared that Harry's mortal time sense was damaged by years of solitude. When he reached Louis' little camp he was unconscious, discolored and deathly thin. Harry had forgotten how fragile humans were. 

But he had already made Louis his project. And he wouldnt let him die. That would be wrong. 

So he decided to nurse Louis back to health. 

And this was the thanks he got? Banished off his own island? He didn't get understand what Louis' problem was; he told him he didn't want to eat him. 

No, that wouldnt do. 

Harry had no interest on eating Louis, but that didn't mean he wouldn't pester him to death. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Another suicide attempt occurs in this chapter, as well as mild violence
> 
> ok it's literally been a year. I got bored of looking for fics to read & decided to finish writing one so when Im 80 and I've done nothing with my life I can at least say I've finished writing this weird one direction fanfic that probably makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Note to self: write down ur plans next time you stop writing for a year.
> 
> Fun fact: real life pirates were very modern in their sexualities, & they even would marry their (gay) partners & share their booty with them. Pun intended. http://listverse.com/2014/02/01/10-ways-pirates-were-different-than-you-thought/

_**Day Forty Seven** _

It was nearly midday and Louis was sprawled out on the sand. His shelter had been destroyed during his outburst the day before and he couldn't bring himself to care enough to create a new one.

So he slept in the sand, except he didn't really sleep. He mostly just watched the sky change from light to dark and light again while thinking about anything except for Harry. He even allowed himself to think of his family, something that was never permitted in the mind of a cold, hard pirate.

He wondered how his sisters were. He wondered if they knew he had become a pirate. He wondered if they missed him.

Louis sighed then, tired eyes squeezing shut. It had began to drizzle lightly, as it did just about every morning, and Louis was wondering if he cared enough to move away from the rain. The answer was no. 

He wondered what was wrong with himself. What could possibly be so terrible that he felt too helpless to even move himself out of the rain. Then he remembered he was stranded on an island with nobody to talk to but an irritatingly beautiful mermaid who couldn't even be bothered to _eat_ him.

Perhaps he needed to play hard to get, Louis thought, maybe mermaids like a challenge. The only way to escape this island appeared to be either to kill himself or be killed, and the latter was clearly easier.

Shaking his head, Louis found himself standing up and starting to pace the beach. The rain had stopped as soon as it started, and the clouds began to disperse from the sky, making Louis squint as he thought. Maybe he was too ugly for the mermaid. He hadn't seen a mirror since aboard the ship, and that felt like years ago. He knew his beard had grown and his skin had tanned. He felt the length and grime of his hair and the sand which eternally littered his skin. Clearly it was his appearance which had turned Harry into vegetable-man. 

Louis shook his head of the morbid thoughts, running his hands through his hair and lifting his head to the sun. It wasn't even noon, yet Louis felt tired and sluggish. It was amazing how slowly time crept when one was completely and entirely alone. As entertaining as contemplating whether or not a mythical creature would kill him or not was, Louis was really not used to being unoccupied. As Captain, Louis always had something to do while aboard the ship. Whether that meant handing out orders or marrying a few members of his crew, Louis always had his hands full. He had always thought of himself as a good Captain, a fair Captain, a kind Captain. He never _completely_ destroyed villages, he only attacked other ships when he _really_  needed to, and he _usually_ wasn't a jerk to his crew. When it comes to pirates, he was tame. 

Maybe, it occurred to him, that's not the kind of man which pirates want to be led by. 

Louis sighed again, looking around. There was nothing in sight. No ship coming to get him, no green mermaids coming to end him. He decided it was an alright time to wash his hair. Maybe then, at least, he could appear appetizing to the mermaid. 

The pirate began to remove his tattered clothing, leaving them on the beach. He recognized that he should feel a shred of shame if the mermaid- Harry- were to show, but he didn't much care. In fact, he hoped the mermaid did see him. Out of disrespect, of course.

Louis waded chest-deep into the the clear saltwater to wash down his body before dunking his head in to wash his hair. As a Captain, he usually had a supply of exotic soaps which he would often steal from wealthy ports. 

He was no longer a Captain. 

Instead he replaced the grime in his hair with salt, it didn't phase him much though. He wasn't going to waste his rain water on bathing. Instead, Louis found himself swimming deeper. The water was a deep blue as he went further out, not a cloud in the sky. Treading the water made Louis feel calm. There was nowhere on land which could make Louis feel how he did in the water. It was serene. It was pure joy. It was safe. It was where one could go when nobody in the world wanted them.

Louis looked out into the distance, where the horizon met the sea. It brought to mind the dream, the memory of his beloved uncle. 

Why had Louis kept from the water? He felt so safe in the water. Nothing could hurt him in the water. There weren't even any fish around. Why weren't there any fish around? Louis was far out enough from land that fish should be aplenty. It hadn't even occurred to Louis how far he was from land until he turned around. The sea surrounding the island was shallow for what seemed like miles out, yet here Louis was, unable to touch his heels to the ground. Had the tide pulled him out? What was drawing him so deeply into the sea? What was the beautiful music he heard?

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. If he went out much further, perhaps the tide could drag him down. He wouldn't have to see that God forsaken island ever again. Live by the sea, die by the sea. It was a foolproof plan.  

Louis relaxed his muscles, let himself sink into the water. The steady waves pulled him out further into the sea, and a sudden drop in the sand let Louis sink further into the water.

His breath was held tight, unaware of how exactly to go about this. But, he felt calm. He felt feather light. Just a few moments and if he could ignore instincts, he could-

He could feel scales against his shoulder. He had barely made it completely underwater, yet a fish was dragging against him. A sharp pull of his arm and Louis wondered if it was a shark. His eyes opened to a flash of green and if Louis could've groaned, he would've. Instead he sucked in a nose-full of sea water. He hadn't felt panic until that happened, his limbs were suddenly shocked into action, flailing in uncoordinated movements. The tide, something, was pulling him down as the unknown force attempted to pull him back up. The last thing Louis remembered before blacking out was the realization that he didn't want to die.

-

 _Louis was in his bedroom in Doncaster. He was naked, but the fine sheets beneath his lounging body screamed luxury. His mind was wandering, unable to keep from a particular memory. Louis_ _didn't mean to be caught with the stable boy, he really didn't. He had done all in his power to keep himself and the boy out of harms way. Even if that meant never riding his favorite horse again - god forbid someone could feel the tension in the room._

_It was only a kiss, really. He'd kissed girls before. Louis wasn't one to deny himself of simple pleasures, so when he decided he wanted to kiss the stable boy, he did. Simple as that._

_Besides, the boy was pretty. And he liked Louis. He'd welcome him with smiles and hugs which lasted just too long whenever Louis came out to ride, and when Louis kissed him he leaned in instead of pushing him away. There was nothing wrong with it._

_Except that everything was wrong with it. He was a Tomlinson, future Duke of Doncaster. He should've been preparing for marriage, not doing... whatever it is that he was doing. He, at the young age of 17, had never heard of a man kissing another man. Hed never heard of a man making another man feel like the subject of a sonnet._

_It was in that moment that Louis decided it didn't matter. He wanted to kiss the stable boy again, and he would get what he wanted. He marched right down to the stables, past the horses and gripped the shoulder of the blond boy._

_When he turned though, he was no longer blond. He was no longer Louis' stableboy and they were no longer in the barn. They were on an island the boy was leaning over Louis. He was licking his full pink lips and he was going to kiss Louis -whom lounged on the sand beneath him._

_But he wasn't the stable boy. He was someone else entirely. The mermaid, the goddamn mermaid. Harry was leaning down, and he was going to kiss Louis. He was so close, lips brushing and Louis could feel the dangerous presence of the mermaids fangs but it didn't matter. It didn't matter because-_

Louis sputtered water all over the mermaid's face. Perhaps that could've been dealt with more gracefully, but the mermaid was already wiping off his face with his arm and Louis was sitting up and sucking in breath like he was stealing it. His lungs ached. His arms and legs ached. Even his eyes burned. But what Louis couldn't get over was the faint taste of banana on his lips. 

"You're truly an idiot, you know that?" His head whipped to the mermaid, whose arms were crossed over his broad chest despite being lounging on the sand. Louis couldn't breathe enough to respond, or he couldn't come up with a witty comeback fast enough to do so. Either way he remained silent, eyes wide as he watched the mermaid fume. "What were you doing out there, trying to get yourself killed? Do you know how many fish I had to kill to keep you alive, and you were just going to waste all those fish lives by fucking _drowning?_ You are barbaric and careless Louis" 

Still, Louis didn't answer, he pressed his palms to his eyes and shook his head. There was too much going on, too much to process after weeks of solitude and silence and little brain activity. Besides, when Louis did try to answer, his voice was small and broken as he choked out something about washing his hair and Harry's was booming and washed with concern when he told him, once again, that he was an idiot. Louis couldn't comprehend why the mermaid's tone of voice had an edge of fear to it, a slight crack in it. He tried not to dwell on it, and instead found himself preoccupied with a banana which Harry handed him.

Harry continued to scold him as Louis ate, still watching him with wide eyes. It was then that it occurred to Louis that Harrys hair was wet. Hed never seen Harry's hair wet. He figured mermaid's had water resistant hair or  something, but clearly they did not. Before he could stop himself he was reaching out, ignoring the ever present fangs in Harry's mouth and gently touching a lock of Harry's hair. 

"Your hairs wet" he croaked out, earning himself an eye roll from the creature

"Of course it is. You think you went in there and dragged yourself out? Gave yourself mouth to mouth? You mortals really are stupid." Louis wasn't listening anymore though. Harry had saved him from the water. Of course, Harry might have been around there anyway. Louis imagined he spent a lot of time in the water, but why did he bother to save him? 

Louis felt his throat tightening with fearful tears. He didn't understand. He was confused. He was naked.

Louis stood suddenly, hands cupped over his crotch. He scanned the sand for his clothes, certain he had led them just outside the water. It was then thst Louis realized he wasn't on his beach. The trees were different. Louis was in a different part of the island. 

"Oh, are you looking for your clothing? I brought you to my side of the island, as you seemed to have floated over most of the way during your little adventure. Hope you don't mind." Harry said, matter of  factly. Clearly he didn't care that Louis was naked. Harry was always naked.

But that didn't matter to Louis. What mattered to Louis was that he was standing on a deserted island, thousands of miles from home or from the Stag. He had proved himself incompetent in killing both animals and himself, and he was standing here, god knows how far from his shelter, talking to a Mermaid that was toying with Louis. He had nearly died for what felt like the millionth time and he was still out of breath. And if that wasn't enough, he was naked, shivering like a wet rat in the presence of a creature designed to seduce and destroy men just like him. 

Strong men can endure a lot of emotional trauma before they break down, and Louis had proved to be a strong man. He survived ridicule, escaping the law, being abandoned by his family, his friends. He had endured a lot. 

But being naked was the straw which broke Louis' back. 

Wihout rationalizing, Louis began to run into the jungle. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter includes violence between man x animal not Harry and Louis
> 
> It feels really good to finish writing a chapter. 
> 
> Also I'm thinking about like maybe making this into a oneshot instead of a chaptered fic because the chapters are so short & whats the point of changing pages so frequently. But I might do that when I'm all done w the fic.
> 
> Someone put "Im a fucking vegetarian" on a tshirt because even I'm sick of Louis' bullshit

**___(still) Day Forty Seven_ **

Everything was fucking _green_. The trees which dipped and swayed like drunken sailors, the grasses which whipped and cut at Louis' bare calves, all _green_. Louis had run deep enough into the jungle that green lasted as far as the eye could see. There was no change in scenery, no indication that he was anywhere near the beach, no matter where he looked. He couldn't even hear the ocean. In fact, he couldn't hear much of anything, aside from the wretched sound of his abused lungs which begged for more air. If the green surrounding every inch of the terrain wasnt suffocating enough, the fact that Louis was actually suffocating was. 

Louis paused after running for what felt like hours, doubling over with his hands to his knees. His head was spinning, thoughts littered with simple " _green_ " and " _breathe_." Louis could never say he really hated a color before he got to the island, but he was now certain that hellfire wasn't red. He couldn't even see the blue sky above him, instead greeted by the _greengreengreen_ of treetops and vines. 

When his breathing evened to an almost normal rate, Louis began walking again. He wasn't much of an endurance runner, and let's just say there's a reason men wear clothing when they run. Besides, Louis didn't even know where he was going, nor did he know why he started running in the first place. Obviously, he had a goal; he wanted to return to his destroyed shelter and clothes. The problem was, he had no idea if he was even going in the right direction.

It was at this point which Louis contemplated turning back around and heading back to the mermaid, whom could potentially help him or at least give him some company. However, when he turned around he couldn't see the beach. All he could see was green. With a groan, Louis began walking again. It was like he had been swallowed by a green monster. There was nothing else in the world but green.

Louis had walked fifteen steps when he realized two things. One, he had a thorn in his heel (a green one), and two, he had began walking in the wrong direction. His eyebrows set in a heavy line as he plucked the thorn out and turned around. Had he really began walking in the wrong direction? It looked the same both  before and behind him. Louis felt like he was drowning for the second time that day. He had no idea where he had came from. He had no idea where the mermaid was.

The mermaid. 

"That goddamn, green monster. This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Wait for me to break? Get me vulnerable and afraid in the middle of the jungle? You evil,  fucking monster!" He spat, spinning in a slow circle as his eyes struggled to find the pale white of Harry's non-tail skin. His chest was rising and falling visibly as he paused to heave, hands curled into tight fists at this sides. The sound of a twig being stepped on broke the deafening silence, and Louis turned to the sound and started to scream at the trees. "If you wanted me dead, you should've let me die long ago. How dare you toy with me, me! Do you know who I am? I'm Louis Tomlinson, Captain of the Sea Stag! I've killed hundreds, thousands of men... no, mermaids! You're just lucky you've.. you've entertained me!" He was stomping and screaming at this point, well aware that he didn't  sound even close to believable with the dangerous crack in his voice. But it didn't matter. He didn't care any more. He just wanted to leave.

His eyes were already brimming with tears when the terrain finally gave them a break from all the green. Unfortunately, the break of color for his eyes was accompanied by a swift tackle, and Louis found himself sprawled out in the grass as a flash of yellow hit him from straight ahead. The yellow disappeared for a moment, only to return a moment later with a sink of its claws into Louis' right thigh. The two squirmed on the jungle floor, both trying to gain the upper hand. A high pitched scream drew from Louis' lips as he scrambled to get away. Kicking the leopard in the nose gave Louis just enough time to climb to his feet and begin to run.

It occurred to Louis then that he was crying; tears were rolling freely down Louis' cheeks, making it hard for him to see where he was going. He panted with desperation as his lungs begged him to stop, but he couldn't. Maybe he had wanted to die, but not like this. Besides, the adrenaline had kicked in, and Louis felt like he could run forever. He could outrun a fucking leopard, one who was just barely nipping at his heels. After all, he was Captain Louis Tomlinson, also known as Captain Black Stag, also known as the almost-future-Duke-of-Doncaster-if-he-didn't-happen-to-be-a-homosexual.

It was then that Captain Louis Tomlinson, also known as Captain Black Stag, also known as the almost-future-Duke-of-Doncaster-if-he-didn't-happen-to-be-a-homosexual tripped on a green root, allowing the yellow to tackle him from behind. A sob wrecked from him as the Leopard sunk its teeth into Louis' shoulder, and Louis couldn't help but wonder why the worlds predators were all so extremely slow at killing. Clearly this animal was designed to kill; it had to know that it was just inches from his neck.

Louis almost forgot how silent the jungle was (aside from the growling and Louis' screams and grunts as he tried desperately to push the Leopard off of him), but then suddenly it wasn't. Every bird seemed to awaken and begin its song, bugs began buzzing and squealing, frogs began to croak and Louis heard then, the most beautiful song in the entire world. Had a Leopard not been in the process of tearing at his shoulder, Louis probably would have stopped to listen; but then suddenly, Louis got the opportunity to listen. The Leopard was gone, snuffing as it walked away unfazed. He couldn't believe his eyes. He scrambled to his feet, sharp pain screaming out from his thigh. Panting, Louis watched as the Leopard simply walked away, thick muscles guiding the big cat until it slipped into the trees and was gone. 

Louis was sobbing openly as he leaned his good arm against a tree, watching where the Leopard had disappeared for what seemed like forever. Nothing was making sense, and he still wasn't dead. 

"I know you're in pain, but I can't quite move through the trees. So you're going to have to come over here." 

Louis whipped his head around, half expecting the Leopard to be the owner of the small, silky voice. Of course, it wasn't. Harry lounged just outside of a pool of water. Lounging wasn't the correct term, Louis thought, Harry was alert and there was fear in his eyes; it wasn't his fault he was always laying down. He gripped the ground on either side of him, watching Louis with concern. He even looked a bit queezy, perhaps a bit green. 

It was then that Louis noticed his surroundings. The green had broken way to a wall of black rock, a small waterfall trickling down it and into a clear blue pool. Around the pool, giant fruit trees flourished as if they were happy. The scene was a beautiful display of color, and Harry looked like he fit right in. Louis wondered how he had missed it while he was running, but he supposed near death experiences could perhaps make you just a tad less aware of your surroundings. 

Louis felt like he had been standing for forever, just staring at the mermaid. He took another deep breath before beginning to limp towards Harry. He grabbed onto anything he could reach to help him along. Finally he reached the clearing and collapsed a couple feet away from Harry, tears still streaming freely down his face. He didn't say anything, face contorted as he cried. Harry was just as silent as he pulled himself over, jaw tensed and hands shaking as he touched Louis' chest. The way Harry looked at him made Louis not want to look at his wounds, that and the fact that the initial shock was dying off, and Louis was starting to feel the gashes in his skin. Harry seemed to stare at him for a long while before his voice broke the silence; it was soft and delicate, just as delicate as the hand which soothingly rubbed over Louis' bare chest.

"Louis... I need you to... We need to clean your wounds. You need to .. get to the water. At least a little bit so I can.. so I can help you"

Had he been in any other position, Louis would've protested, but unfortunately he was not in any other position, so he shakily crawled to the waters edge, already too weak as he slumped down on his back. Harry was right next to him in an instant, cupped hands dipping into the water to start washing out first the gash in his shoulder, then his  leg. Then stinging had Louis' eyes squeezed shut and his hands drawn into fists. 

"Can't you like, sing and heal it? Aren't mermaids supposed to be able to do that? I know we're not on the best of terms but I don't think I've ever been in more pain." Louis was surprised at his own voice, and he was more surprised when Harry shook his head.

"No, Lou. All my singing does is cure afternoon boredom and.." Harry trailed off as if he couldn't finish the sentence, but Louis knew what he was going to say. Hed felt it when he heard Harry on his first day on the island; his voice was designed to draw sailors to their doom.

"Then why... why were you singing to the Leopard?" Louis grunted out as another splash of cool water spread over his shoulder. 

"I wasn't singing to the _Leopard_. I was asking the trees to calm her. You frightened her." Harry said, his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. Louis gaped at him.

"I frightened her? Me? That's ridiculous! She tried to eat me!"

"She wasn't trying to eat you. Nothing in that jungle would try to eat you. You just stepped too close to her nest and she lashed out. She had children, you know, and you're a stranger."

Louis was silent for a long while as Harry wrapped his shoulder up with banana leaves. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only had Harry spoken to the fucking trees, but apparently everything that should want to eat him was suddenly not hungry.

"The jungle is magic, in some ways. I suppose you're not used to it" Harry said, leaning over Louis' face so he could catch his eyes. It was like Harry could read his mind; Louis hoped not. "The trees.. the animals. They communicate and feel, in their own ways. It's part of why I chose this island as a permanent home." 

Harry disappeared from above Louis again, this time wrapping up his thigh in leaves. Louis lifted his healthy arm and rubbed at his face. "No, I'm used to people actually wanting to kill me. Not things which kinda want to kill me but don't go through with it." Louis wasn't sure if he meant Harry or the Leopard.

"Are you talking about me or the Leopard?" Fuck. "Because I told you. I'm a vegetarian. And to the extent of your concern, so is the Leopard. She won't kill things that have feelings. Eats fruit and bugs."

"I don't care if you're a veterinarian. You're a monster. I've read about you. This innocence is all an act." Louis spat. He felt a pang of guilt when Harry moved away from wrapping up his wounds, patting his good shoulder before leaning back casually against the waters edge. Louis didn't miss the eye roll. "And for the Leopard, i might as well be dead. I'm in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no medicine and she ripped me apart. These get infected and I'm a goner." Louis said, turning his head to watch how the mermaid washed his hands in the blue liquid. 

"Well then I'll make sure you don't get infected." 

Louis squinted, eyes trained on Harry's profile. "Why do you care so much? About whether I live or die. Do you realize who I am? I'm a murderer, you know. I'm a sinner and an overall bad guy. I'm the exact type which a mermaid should be dying to get its hands on." Harry tilted his head, slowly turning his upper body to look at Louis. He leaned in then, nose just inches from Louis' face. His dream occurred to him suddenly, and he was shocked at how badly he wanted to kiss Harry. Even though Harry's fangs shined when he opened his mouth to speak, his voice sending shivers down Louis' spine.

" _Im a fucking vegetarian_." Louis already forgot what the word meant.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised myself I'd finish my summer assignments before i updated & that took weeks longer than i thought, so sorry abt that. Also I'm pleased to announce that there are no trigger warnings for this chapter I think and hope 
> 
> Also legit to look up homosexuality in Ancient Greece, its really interesting. Also,,, this chapter annoys me because it's hard to write in the facts I need there

**_Day Fifty Two_ **

It had been five days since Louis' accident and he could barely walk. While the injuries to his thigh were significantly less than the gash in his shoulder, it still hurt like hell whenever Louis tried to stand, so he didn't do it very often. 

It had been five cool days since Louis's run through the forest, and his injuries no longer made him cry and moan. While the first two nights resulted in fitful sleep and loud moans which he couldn't control, he now could get away with a mere wince whenever he tried to move past his abilities. He felt proud of himself for that, and he also tried to move very little because of that.

It had been five cloudy days since the Leopard attack, and Louis had done very little but lounge outside the of the small pond, eat fruits and talk to Harry. 

It had been five days since Louis got hurt, and Harry hadn't left his side. That's an overstatement, of course. Harry had to leave Louis' side occasionally, like when he needed to get into saltwater lest he dried out and died, or when Louis requested more bananas, or when he needed to collect more plants and berries to make the salve which he applied three times a day to Louis' wounds. On the third day, when Louis shifted to try to cover himself, Harry had even gone and retrieved his clothes and, to Louis' surprise, his gun. Louis didn't want to explain the slight relief and immediate guilt he felt when he saw it, so instead he refused to touch it as Harry helped him to dress.

Louis suspected that Harry liked having someone to take care of. Or, at least he was company for the otherwise lonely mermaid. Whatever the case, Louis suspected that Harry felt somehow _good_. Louis couldn't deny that he felt the same. 

"Are you lonely?" Louis asked, leaning against a rock wall which Harry had propped him up against so he could more easily access his  shoulder. Harry nodded without looking up from the ointment, hair wet from the dip earlier and bouncing around his shoulders.

"Yes. Very lonely. I speak to the trees, remember?" Harry said mindlessly, using his fingers to apply the salve. When he finished he wiped his fingers against his thigh. Except he didn't have thighs, Louis noted, he had a giant green tail. It was easy to forget. Louis tried to remind himself that if Harry wanted him dead, he'd already be in hell. 

"Then why do you live here? Can't you swim somewhere else?" Louis asked, ignoring Harry's joking tone and looking up at the mermaid whose hair was haloed by the sun. "Not that I want you to leave, seeing as how I'd die and all. But it seems as though you were here long before me."

In the past five days Louis had learned that Harry was Greek. He spoke and heard Greek, but that his being a mermaid allowed him to communicate with Louis whom spoke English. He also learned that Harry was quick witted and funny, despite the slow way he talked. He found himself wanting more information. Louis had informed Harry a lot about his own life while simultaneously keeping much from him; that he was a pirate captain - but not how that came to be, that he used to live in Doncaster - but not that he was royalty. He wanted to learn more about Harry before he provided more personal information. However, Harry seemed to be just as reserved.

Harry chuckled briefly, leaning against a palm tree across from Louis. His tail flopped next to Louis who tried very hard not to look at it. Louis had began to assume that the tail sometimes moved by itself, and that Harry wasn't very pleased when Louis stared at it. "Yes, I lived here already. I live here because it's nice. The island has very good energy and it's very welcoming to me." 

Louis squinted, his head tilting. "Yes, this is a very lovely deadly island, but you're avoiding my question. Why on land, is what I mean." 

Harry sighed, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he played with his hands on his lap, which wasn't so much of a lap as it was where his body connected to the tail that Louis tried really really hard not to look at. "You have to promise not to laugh." Louis was going to make a comment, but held his tongue when he noticed how Harry was looking at him. He nodded, watching Harry intently. "Um, I'm afraid of water."

"You're afraid of water."

"Yes." Harry winced, but Louis wasn't trying to ridicule him. His head tilted and he tried to lean closer to Harry. His shoulder was not intruiged.

"You can't drown, you know. Like, I can see your gills." Harry lifted his hand like clockwork to touch the pale green slits across his neck which Louis tried not to look at.

"No, but I don't like the feeling of having my head under water. I can't like get all the way in. It's the pressure on my head that I don't like."

"But you got underwater to save me. Your hair was wet" Harry gave Louis a sad look, as if he had hoped Louis wouldn't have said that.

"No. You weren't too deep, I could reach you without getting fully in. My hair was wet because you splashed me while I was dragging you to land. Also, you spat on me.  Just a friendly reminder." Harry ended with a teasing smile which Louis didn't return. He was too busy thinking about what would've happened had he sunk deeper than Harry could've reached. He didn't actually want to die, plus he'd never have gotten five days of unrelenting attention and care from a gorgeous mermaid had he died. Louis didn't press on that.

"You realize you're a mermaid, right? You should be living in water." He teased a little, knowing that Harry wouldn't mind once he eased up to the topic. Harry was picking at his nails, apparently confident that Louis had dropped the subject after the beat of silence. Harry raised his eyes and tilted his head, his tail giving a little wave before immediately flopping back down.

"Do you realize what mermaids are?" Louis shook his head, eyes wide. Of course he knew what he had read in schoolhouse books l books. They were evil creatures who ate pirates after drowning them. Also they apparently had sparking green eyes and pink lips below them. The way Harry looked at him made him think that there was more to the story.

"From what I understand, when a man dies near or in the water he may become a mermaid. Most mermaids are former pirates, doomed to pay their debts by killing the men who commit the same deeds as them." Clearly he expected his chilling fact to terrify Louis, but that was not the case. Louis merely tilted his head, looking for one of Harry's eyes to the other.

"So most mermaids are men?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed together as if telling Louis he had missed the point. However, he didn't care much. So, he'd become a mermaid, that's much better than his previous belief that an afterlife was a sham. In a moment though, Harry's confusion was replaced with a smug smile accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Im a man. Underneath whatever boobs and longbblond hair you see is a man." Louis didn't like the way Harry smiled at him, and he rushed to fight his accusation.

"I know you're a man. You're clearly a man." The words had escaped his mouth before Louis could stop them. His eyes grew wide as he turned his head away from Harry.

Harry had explained that mermaids changed appearance to be more appealing to the sailors they tried to attack. Louis had just revealed the secret which had cost him the throne as Duke of Doncaster. But Harry wasn't attacking him or yelling in horror as his father had, he had ripped a palm into strips and was braiding them. He looked up when he noticed Louis staring at him. 

"What?"

"Youre not going to say anything?" Louis was trying to keep his voice from shaking. 

"What, about you being a homosexual? It's not like you're the first one I've seen" Harry laughed, full and heartily as if he expected Louis to join in. The laughter died down when Harry noticed Louis' stare. "What? Are there no homosexuals in Doncaster or something?" 

Louis shook his head slowly, unable to explain. He had never heard someone speak about the matter at hand so casually. 

"That was a joke. There have to be homosexuals in Doncaster. In my village the population dropped 10% because young boys have a cheaper dowry. I can't imagine the system being much less popular anywhere else."

Louis' jaw had dropped and his eyes were bulging. Hearing someone talk in such a fashion was nearly obscene, even for him. He was, of course, a homosexual, and he had encountered others who had also been pirates themselves. He had even verified marriages between a few of his crew members. However, the way Harry was talking about it made it seem almost normal. Almost like something that one wouldn't have to run away and become a pirate for. That was then obscene part; nothing about Louis' condition was normal to him.

He tried to keep his voice steady, eyes trained on Harrys mildly surprised face. "Where I come from, homosexuals are prosecuted." 

"That sounds archaic. King Alexander-"

"Alexander the Great?"

"I mean, hes alright. I wouldn't call him Great. Anyway,"

"Do you realize what year it is? Alexander the Great hasn't been in power for more than a thousand years. Christ! He hasn't been alive for a thousand years."

Harry went quiet then, his head tilted and lips parted. He looked as if he was ready to tell Louis more facts about the homosexuals if he weren't so shocked. He looked at his hands on his green lap.

"Its 1657AD. Which means..."

Harry shook his head and lifted his hand to silence Louis. 

"I don't want to know. All I wanted to say was that where I'm from, men have courtships with teenage boys which last until the teenage boy marries a woman."

Louis nodded, respectfully quiet. The information about arrangements in Ancient Greece n paled to the information about how _Ancient_ Harry was. He had more questions, questions about what it felt like to be so old, but Louis vaguely remembered his mother telling him to never ask someone their age, especially if they're quite old. So instead, Louis kept on the gay topic- one which Harry seemed more comfortable with.

"You see, that's why I became a pirate. I was caught with another man. So I was forced out. It's not a topic they speak about at home."

Harry nodded, untying the entire braid he had done before beginning the slow process again. He spoke so nonchalantly that Louis barely noticed the topic. "I didn't want to marry my wife. That's why I was killed. Drowned. That's why I'm like this."

There was a long silence after that, the air thick with unsettling thoughts from both sides. Louis felt like things were moving in slow motion, with him staring at the freshwater behind Harry. At the same time though,  the sun was rapidly dropping in the sky, and scars of pink and orange cut through the sky by the time Harry moved over to reapply the salve. Louis noticed there wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

"What do I look like to you?" Louis snapped his head up, surprised to hear Harry's low voice after such a long time. It wasn't that Louis had forgotten Harry was there- his touch had comforted Louis more than he knew possible. He just wasn't expecting him to talk. 

Louis stared at Harry for a long moment, lips parting and heart going giddy at the realization that he had the ability to stare at Harry without seeming weird. It was basically asked from him.

"You have long curly brown hair. Green eyes and a green tail and green gills. The rest of you is very pale. Well, aside from your mouth. Which is big and very red. And you have moles. Or freckles. Both, actually." Louis pointed out a couple, but didn't notice how it made Harry's dark eyebrows furrow together. He finished applying the salve before sliding over and dipping his tail into the water. He barely glanced back before sliding in and disappearing, barely leaving Louis with a promise to be right back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case that was confusing: in Ancient Greece, young boys would go off and have a short relationship with older men until they were fit for marriage. So, Harry would have encountered a lot of other gay men, but his refusal to give up the gay lifestyle after he became too old would have been in bad taste. Also, Harry’s super old


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I’ve just applied to 7 universities in case you’re interested in my life.   
> I have a possibly irrational fear that everything I write doesn’t make sense.

**_Year ???_ **

The boy was quite cute and all, but frankly, Harry was not in the mood to deal with any of this. He cut through the water quickly, unable to breathe above or below the surface, trying desperately to get away from louislouislouis.

Yes, it was his fault. Harry had remember being told that a mermaid should never share the information about becoming a mermaid, even to sharp men with piercing blue eyes. The mermaid population was large enough what with the golden age of Pirates, but if men learned that they’d have eternal life and a cool tail just by being drowned, the entire world would be covered in mermaids, and becoming one was only supposed to be for the worst of the pirates (a fact which many took pride in, and which separated Harry even further). So, strictly against the rules.

Harry, however, clearly wasn’t made for mermaid rules.

But, had Harry kept his giant mouth shut, Louis wouldn’t have questioned how Harry became a mermaid, Harry wouldn’t have found out that Louis was gay and Louis wouldn’t have described him. Not the him that warranted sailors’ cat-calls, or the him that he’d see in clear water after meeting said sailors up close, but _him_. Louis had described the Harry which danced around the streets of Thebes so many years ago. Louis had described what Harry really looked like. Harry wasn’t sure anyone had ever seen what a mermaid really looked like, and he was afraid of what it might mean.

But he couldn’t let himself think about what it meant. Frankly it was all too confusing and he could’ve slapped himself for having such a loose tongue. But there was something about Louis which made Harry want to spill all his secrets; Harry couldn’t even say he hated it. 

Harry was now gliding slowly through the water as he calmed down, face towards the yellow sun as he floated on his back. His closed eyes continued to picture Louis’ feathered brown hair and sharp teasing smile. He told himself he should be thinking of anything but Louis, but the smile was calming him.

Enough time had passed that Harry had figured out what exactly to say to Louis. He was going to explain, calmly, that nobody had ever seen a mermaids true form as far as he knew, and that they were going to have to figure out why this was happening. He was going to joke with Louis by mentioning that he knew he was attractive, but that he never guessed that he’d be someone’s dream-person. He was also going to mention that he shouldn’t tell anyone about how to become a mermaid, please, even though there’s nobody else on the island.

Harry sighed and nodded to himself, rolling over to float with just his head and shoulders out of th water. Just as he was about to turn back to where Louis was, a dark mass caught his eye. He whipped his head around to catch gaze of the unfamiliar object, only to see that it was the upper sails of a sinking ship, just about a mile off the coast, surrounded by a dozen or so mermaids.

Harry turned, suddenly worried that the crew of the ship had made it ashore and were coming after his Louis, but his race back was cut short as Harry rammed straight into another mermaid’s bare chest. 

“Harry! You’re here!”

”Oh, jeez. Hey, George. Um I have to get going I’m late for uh-“

”Honestly, can’t believe you’re here. Me and the guys were talking bout whether or not you’d come considering how close the crash is to your island. Did you hear what happened?” George was a loud, boastful mermaid. Harry saw him as a broad shouldered ginger man with a thick beard covering his jaw. He had once been part of Harry’s group of friends when Harry was a young mermaid, but like all the others he had dispersed once Harry went vegetarian.

”Erm, no, George, but really I have to get going-“

”Apparently, this ship here, mutinies its captain, right. Leaves ‘im on your island to die. But their new captain, ‘e’s absolutely obsessed wit the guy they left, comes back to make sure the deeds done, sinks his own damn ship by mistake!” George is laughing at the end of it, loud with his head thrown back. Harry feels a chill go through his body. Had they come back and found Louis, they would’ve killed him. Harry couldn’t have protected him from an entire pirate crew. He felt calm for only a moment before realizing the question he had to ask.

Harry swallowed down the nausea before parting his lips and asking, “Did the crew survive? Did you guys get to them?” Whether the mermaids had killed the entire crew or they had made it to his island, Harry wouldve been disturbed. But there was a particular person he had to prioritize. 

“Most of em. You know how Nick is, always giving into their games. The captain told em that the man they left on the island was the legendary Black Stag. Don’t believe it, of course, but you know.. Nick.”

”Black Stag?” Harry had heard it before, of course. But he had just thought it was a name Louis came up with to scare him.

”Jeez, Harry. You are living under a rock. The Black Stag, nastiest pirate on the seas. They say ‘e’s killed a hundred mermaid and triple as many men, with his bare hands too. Tall, dark, all that. There’s countless stories about ‘im. Anyway, ‘es supposedly on your island just now, they’re lookin for him, they are.” 

Harry felt like he could throw up. He quickly came up with some story and told George they’d have to hang out soon, before swimming as fast as he could to his Louis. 

Nothing was really adding up in his head as he slid through the water as quickly as he could. He knew for a fact that Louis was the Black Stag, but was he really a world renown pirate? Is it possible that those petite hands had killed hundreds of men and mermaids? Why hadn’t Louis killed him when he had the chance? Why did he seem so helpless, so soft? There was no way in his mind that Louis could’ve killed so many people so remorselessly. 

But who was he to talk? Three pirates had met their end to Harry and his friends. Granted, he had never been the one to do it specifically, but he had been there and hadn’t stopped it. That was just as bad.

That was besides the point. Harry could see that Louis was good. He was different than all the pirates he had encountered, as cliche as it sounds. 

Harry followed the freshwater creek deeper into the forest, and for once, the darkness which the canopy of trees created made Harry uneasy instead of calm. It was strange when Harry thought that before Louis, it was the forest which brought him joy. Now it was too wide, too deep. 

Harry could’ve sobbed when he finally came to the clearing and found the man snoring quietly against a tree trunk, wildflowers on his lap. Harry heaved himself out of the water as he choked back a little sob, his fears of Louis being captured proved untrue. He shook his head and tried to calm himself down; there was no need for such a strong reaction to this man he barely knew. 

“Harry?” Louis was squinting despite the sun haloing him from behind, making his feathered hair appear to be golden. Harry wanted to touch it.

”Good morning. I trust you had a good rest? How does your arm feel?” He could’ve began with: there are people coming to kill you, and I’m not sure how to protect you because you can’t walk and it’s hard enough for me to get around with this fucking tail, let alone carry you. But no, that’s not what he said.  It was almost as if the clearing had a calming effect on him, or maybe it was Louis. Regardless, the crushing anxiety he felt was eased and he began to think more clearly: this was a magic forest, nobody would be able to find them if they didn’t want to be found. 

“Yes. Gone for a long time, yeah? Everything alright?” Louis was looking at him with such genuine concern and softness, still blinking away the sleep. Harry could cry. “I know I, like, offended you. By calling you old and all. But um, you look really good for your age, and I didn’t mean to offend you. I just am new to all this. So, I’m sorry.” Louis smiled with his teeth pressed together as he looked warily at Harry, his good arm reached out with the flowers that were on his lap just a moment ago. Harry could cry. 

He got close enough that he could take the flowers from the crippled man, touching the blue petals gently as he held them on his lap. Harry laughed mirthlessly and shook his head. “I wasn’t offended. I know I’m old to you. That wasn’t what...”

Harry trailed off when he heard a sound. He tilted his head, eyebrows furrowing deeply as he tried to hear. Clearly, Louis couldn’t hear whatever it was, but maybe Harry couldn’t either. It occurred to him that he couldn’t hear the sound, but he felt a disturbance on the island. He felt the same thing he had felt when Louis was starving on the beach: there were strangers, and the island was unhappy about it. They were far, far away, but they were on his island; that was enough to jog his memory.

“Harry?”

”I have to know. Are you really the Black Stag?” Harry tried to ignore the pang in his heart as Louis’ expression changed from soft to steeled in an instant. It was as if Louis himself had just remembered he was an esteemed pirate captain; he sat up straighter and lifted his nose to give a sense of importance. 

“Yes.”

”I’ve heard of you.”

Louis laughed suddenly, the sound surprising Harry. He tilted his head and gave Harry a teasing look. “And this hasn’t come up before? I mean, who hasn’t heard of me?” 

“No, I mean I’ve heard of you just now. There was a shipwreck just offshore. Mermaids have the island surrounded, and the survivors are searching for the infamous Black Stag.”

Louis looked pensive, brows furrowed and lips pursed, he visibly swallowed before speaking. “They’re going to kill you if they find you.” Harry almost laughed at how considerate the statement was. He simply shook his head. 

“No, they want you. They’re with other mermaids because.. because the mermaids want revenge.” 

Louis looked confused for a moment, before raising his eyebrows and nodding, his voice breathy as he mumbled “killed a hundred mermaid and triple that many men, with his bare hands.” Louis lifted his hands and raised his eyebrows at them, as if he were asking them why they’d done it. Harry frowned, it sounded almost like a recitation, a line from a sick poem.

Harry shook his head, reaching over and placing a hand on Louis’ good shoulder. The action made Louis jump, but Harry ignored it. “I don’t care what you’ve done. Im going to protect you.” Louis’ eyes met Harry’s, bright blue skies with not a single cloud, and he nodded once, and Harry felt safe. 

**_Day Fifty Three_ **

It was so cold. Louis had never been so cold in his life, especially not on a tropical island. He was shivering visibly, teeth chattering at the cold. Harry had told him that his former crew would be unable to find him, at least for now, so it would be wise for them to rest and plan in the morning. He had argued, asking if there was somewhere they could hide instead. Harry had simply requested that Louis stand and walk there, which warranted a sigh and a reluctant nod. However, Louis regretted not moving at all, maybe to somewhere warmer. If his crew was coming to kill him, it would nice to spend his last night comfortable. And if to make it worse, there was Harry, laying on his side with his back to Louis, asleep in the freezing cold. Louis had no idea how this man could be asleep in the freezing cold. 

He wanted to go and get himself some palms, lay them over his body and settle into sleep, but a quick assessment of his thigh injury and Louis decided he would not be standing up, no thanks. 

“Harry, Harry are you awake?” Louis heard his voice say, his arms squeezing tighter around himself at how vulnerable he sounded. Harry made a sound went quiet for a moment before grunting and turning to look at Louis with one eye open. 

“Mm?” 

“Um, I’m sorry. ‘S cold and i can’t move.” 

Harry looked at him for a few seconds as if he were a puzzle, but then Harry was turning around, and shifting his body forward. Louis parted his lips when, instead of grabbing Louis a few large palms from across the clearing, Harry shifted forward and tugged Louis snug into his chest. His body froze, and it was as if Harry read his anxiety, and read it incorrectly, because his gruff voice mumbled out: “I’m a vegetarian.” 

Louis tried not to laugh, face pressed against Harry’s pale skin  with the way Harry held him. He nodded and turned his attention towards trying to keep himself from getting hard against the warm man’s very green tail. Nobody could blame him, really. He was tucked against the person who embodied everything he found attractive in a person. Also, he had unknowingly expected the tail to feel covered in slime, he recalled the fish he caught as a child with his uncle, but the tail felt soft and almost skinlike. It felt _nice_ to be pressed against him. It would be perfectly normal for a healthy young homosexual to become aroused in this situation, but if Harry noticed, Louis might drop dead.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Harry smelled like sea spray and strawberries, but that was not the kind of thing he should be thinking about. 

“Why did you leave then, earlier? If you weren’t offended.” Harry was awake already, Louis decided, and his body warmth was helping Louis slip into a state of mind between awake and asleep, one which was less shy about these things- so there was no harm in asking.

Harry was quiet for a long time, long enough that Louis assumed he had fallen back into slumber, and Louis was following his lead. But finally, his low voice broke the silence, the rumbling of his voice shaking Louis’ chest.

”You.. scared me.”

”How could I scare you?”

Harry sighed, shaking his head. His jaw brushed against the top of Louis’ head. “You know how I told you that mermaids take the form of whatever most attracts a person? Its not just like, their ideal characteristics, but their literal dream person. Whatever their deep subconscious finds most attractive, there I am. Irresistible. So any mermaid you see might look different, but the point is, irresistible. Perfect.” Louis nodded, irresistible, perfect, he thought. He couldn’t disagree. “Well, you described me.” 

“Yes.” 

“No, you described _me_. You described what I look like without the magic. You described what I looked like before I became a mermaid.” 

Louis wasn’t entirely sure what Harry meant by that. “So like. Weird coincidence?”

Harry shook his head, unsettling Louis. Louis frowned, shifting his body closer into the warmth of Harry’s body. Perfect. He couldnt say he was paying too much attention to what was being said,  more concerned that Harry was starting to wake up, would realize they’re in a strange position considering their previous relationship, and request that Louis stopped clinging to him. Irresistible, perfect. If Louis had to move away from his position then he might cry, he thought. Nothing in the world mattered more than this, than Harry. He was irresistible. There wasn’t a thing Louis wouldn’t do for Harry. He was perfect. He would dive to the depths of the ocean for him. But Harry was talking again, chest rumbling heavily against Louis’ again. It was a good feeling, Louis thought. Irresistible. It was like- 

“Louis. Please pay attention. I’m trying very hard not to seduce you right now.” 

Suddenly Louis felt awake. He didnt notice the fog in his mind until it was gone. He lifted himself up and stared intensely at Harry, lips parted as he panted softly. He could just barely see the outline of Harry’s concerned yet exasperated expression. 

“Did you do that? Did you just control my mind?”

“I didn’t mean to. That’s what I’ve been trying to say. I think that there has to be a reason why you see me for who I am. The fates must have something in store for us. But I think that’s why you’re less suceptible to my seducing”

”Less? I just touched you and I was ready to drown myself.”

“Most people don’t get close enough to touch.” Harry said, his voice was deathly low. Louis was quiet for a long time, trying to understand everything. With a grunt, he sat up and placed his head in his hand. 

“So, I end up on your island of all the islands, on the verge of death. You save me too many times and now I’m both more and less obsessed with you than anyone else? Quite humble, you are.” 

To Louis’ surprise, Harry barked out a loud laugh. He looked over at the mermaid and tilted his head. “It comes with the trade,” he shook his head. “What I’m saying is, I can’t help seducing people. But here you come along, you see a face which hasn’t been seen in a thousand years, and you’re turning down the bananas I’m setting outside your shelter out of principle. It’s not that you’re obsessed with me, it’s that you’re genuine. You genuinely didn’t like me. Now, you genuinely like my soft tail. You’re almost treating me like a.. person.” Harry had quieted down by the end of his speech, and for a moment Louis realized how vulnerable, how lonely Harry was. He also realized he had said the soft tail thing out loud, but tried to ignore it. “If you were any other person, you’d be worshipping me. Or you’d be dead. But you’re here, talking to me.” 

Had Louis been less tired, less confused after the whole mind control thing, he might have had something intelligent to say. Something sarcastic at the very least. But he had nothing. He, in a strange way, understood what Harry meant. He had heard so many stories about mermaids, but Harry was something different- and not just because he was a veterinarian. 

So, lacking an argument, Louis nodded pensively. He continued to nod as he went through the slow process to dip his body back down into the moss bed underneath them and to slip forward towards the mermaid. Harry went to pull Louis back into his previous position, but Louis refused, lifting his hand to the back of Harry’s head and carefully guiding him to let himself melt into Louis’ heat. Harry did so gladly.

“Don’t seduce me again. Not with magic, at least I didn’t like it.” Louis was half joking, but Harry nodded seriously.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I think I can tone it down if I concentrate on it, i was just.. tired. I don’t want to seduce you.”

Louis nodded, tentatively lifting his hand before gently patting the back of Harry’s head. Harry squished his cheek a little closer to Louis’ clothed chest, and in just a few moments Louis realized that the mermaid had fallen asleep. 

“You don’t need magic to seduce me” Louis whispered, his eyes already closing.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hope your week is going well! I’m trying to update faster especially since it’s going on two years since I started this fic, and also since we’re nearing the end
> 
> So here’s a pretty long, pretty fluffy chapter.
> 
> Also warning because there’s blood and pain

**_Day Fifty Three_ **

A light, shining directly on Louis’ face is what pulled him from slumber. Squinting, he grunted as he lifted his head to find its source. How unfair, Louis thought, that the only break in the canopy of trees was angled just where the sun would pierce Louis’ eyelids. He sighed.

It’s not like Louis had a terrible night of sleep. Really, he felt pretty well rested. In fact, he’d had the best night of sleep since he landed on the island. The pain in this arm and leg had minimized to a dull, yet constant throbbing, and he’d slept curled around a vicious monster with really soft hair. Despite the stories, he could count the number of people he’d woken up next to on one hand (one... two), and he couldn’t complain about adding Harry to that list.

Speaking of, Harry was still asleep, his snores quiet snuffs against Louis’ chest. It made sense that he was still asleep; Louis had practically curled his upper body around his head, blocking any sun which could try to attack him. 

He didn’t want to wake Harry up, but, in all honesty, he was bored. And now that he’s thinking about it, this position isn’t so comfortable now that he’s awake. Louis sighed again, arching his back as he peeled himself away from Harry and let himself fall into his back. The moss was cool and soft beneath him, and he let his body relax upon it. When Louis looked up, he realized he could see birds flying from tree to tree. It was always so quiet in the forest. With all these birds? Louis didn’t understand. Granted, there were a lot of things he didn’t understand. For one, he didn’t understand why his crew came back for him, as if being stuck on this island wasn’t synonymous with being dead itself. It’s not like he could talk to anyone or do anything which would affect the outside world. All he had was Harry. 

Harry, who was scrunching his face up as he slowly woke up. He lifted his arms and covered his eyes as he arched his back and stretched out. Even his tail remenisced someone stretching their toes out. Louis looked away from it quickly.

There were a lot of things that Louis didn’t understand about Harry too. There was too much magic involved. Louis couldn’t even comprehend what had happened the night before. It scared him, honestly. And yet, he was still drawn to Harry. But was that magic too? 

“Hello, Louis.” Harry hummed, his head propped up on his elbow as he looked over at the pirate. Suddenly, looking at Harry’s sleepy face, Louis didn’t care whether it was magic or not.“Did you sleep well?” 

Louis smiled, turning on his side and nodding. Harry smiled back, sitting up and stretching out his arms. “Did you?” 

Nodding, Harry looked around, his attention already off of Louis. It was strange, how Louis felt abandoned in that moment, but then Harry was looking at him again and Louis perked up, struggling a little to sit up. 

“I think we’re gonna have to, uhh,  go somewhere else.” Harry looked as if he was still trying to wake up, as he kept rubbing at his eyes and stretching various muscles. Louis frowned as Harry began to slowly peel Louis’ palm-bandages off to apply his daily salve. 

“Why? Are they close?”

Harry shook his head calmly as he mumbled that he “just didnt want to risk it.” Louis might be flattered at his concern if Harry didn’t sigh and shake his hair, rolling his eyes up as he thought.

”I’m not entirely sure.. how we’re going to do this. Move from here.”

Twenty minutes later, Louis was standing, using a large stick as a cane and trying not to cry because Harry was looking at him with those wide green eyes. Harry explained that the the freshwater stream went deeper into the island, and that Louis could walk alongside while Harry lead the way to another clearing. With a grim nod, Louis began to walk. 

His face had greyed, sweat dripping down his forehead and back as he hobbled alongside the stream, Harry floating inside and trying not to go much faster than Louis. In ten minutes they had barely left the clearing, and trees lined all but a narrow trail just before the water. Louis was entirely unaware of the soft grunts he was making as he leaned heavily on his walking stick. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Harry, who was wrecked with concern. If he was capable of thought besides the searing pain in his thigh, he might have wondered why Harry cared so much; he might’ve wondered if walking on the injury might be making it worse. 

The two of them seemed to be disturbing the island; the usual silent atmosphere was replaced with the occasional frog that hopped away from Louis’ boots, and bird which chirped their opinions out. The trees themselves seemed to sway in to see what was happening, and then away when they saw Louis’ sweaty face. 

Of course, Louis had to take breaks on the way to their destination. There were moments when Louis would feel close to fainting, and Harry would lean out of the water as if to catch him (a nice gesture, but useless in reality). Every step Louis took was agony, and while there was little weight being put on his mangled leg, the movement in itself destroyed the healing that Harry’s salve had created. 

When Louis fell to the ground and sobbed into the dirt after being unable to step over a protruding  root, Harry pulled himself from the water and did all he could to comfort Louis. He rubbed Louis’ back and spoke soft encouragements which Louis didn’t hear. They remained like that until Louis couldn’t cry anymore, until Louis seemed to stop bleeding so profusely from his reopened wound, and until the forest had grown hot with the afternoon sun. Louis eventually turned on his back and tried to ignore how Harry’s eyes bulged at his pale face. Harry fell quiet for a long time, Louis barely conscious and Harry merely watching Louis’ breathing. 

“Dear, you have to drink something.” Louis’ eyes opened at the voice, and Harry was leaning over him with cupped hands. Louis shook his head but Harry pressed on. It took Louis far too long to sit up enough to lean towards Harry’s hands, which then helped Louis get water into his mouth. He felt more awake after drinking, but that meant the pain was more intolerable. 

”Im going.. to die here. On this fucking. Fucking island. None of this was supposed to happen.”  Louis groaned out, his voice deep as he arched his back in agony. “I keep thinking..” Louis laid back, his hair flopped back with the way he tilted his chin up. “I keep thinking I’m going to wake up, and this whole thing will have been a nightmare. Getting stranded, getting attacked, none of this will be real.” 

“Especially me.” Harry had a smile on his face, as if he were teasing Louis, but his voice cracked just slightly. Louis frowned, but he didn’t argue; he couldn’t. In the beginning, Harry had been the worst part of being here. They both knew it. Louis’ being entranced by Harry’s magic seduction didn’t change how much Louis hated Harry, Louis thought. His crush was result of the magic, not because Harry was kind, concerned and willing to call Louis out on his bullshit. Harry was the reason Louis was still alive on the hellish island, and not a mermaid himself yet. Harry was the reason he’d been torn to pieces. Harry was the reason Louis had to walk deeper into the forest, instead of giving himself up to the crew. Fuck, Louis was sure Harry was the reason he was gay. It was all Harry’s fault. 

Louis knew, deep down, that none of that was true. He knew that, frankly, he was enamoured with the mermaid, regardless of his appearance. He knew that while Harry had saved him when he didn’t want to be saved, Harry had given Louis something to live for again. None of this was Harry’s fault; he’d been nothing but lovely. It was Louis who had been in the wrong. It was Louis who had been so ugly to Harry, who had been so ungrateful. And, in reality, it was Louis who deserved to be mutinied. He deserved everything he had gotten; he deserved to be stuck on an uncivilized island, with no company but a mermaid who would never return his feelings. 

“Harry.. there’s something you need to know. If I die here, I have to tell you something.”

”You’re not going to die here. Don’t.” Louis was shocked at the sharp tone in Harry’s voice, but the casual way he lifted another handful of water to Louis’ lips. And he was, most of all, shocked at the tears in his eyes. “I’m not going to let you die.” Louis went quiet, lips parted as he watched Harry. “I’m not going to let you die because, for once, I have someone here to talk to, and who is funny, and hotheaded and _good_. And because if you die, then you’ll be gone. And, best case scenario, you’ll become a mermaid and you’ll forget about me.” 

“I wouldn’t forget about you.”

”Yes, you would. That’s how it works. We forget so we don’t get to go back to our old lives. You remember a thousand years later so that by the time you remember that your mothers name was Anne, there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m not going to let that happen to you because I like you and because you don’t deserve that.”

Louis squeezed his eyes shut, tears prickling behind his eyelids. Suddenly, he realized why Harry was so determined to keep him alive, even when life seemed so terrible. Harry was the one who was _good_. 

_**Year ???** _

Harry did not mean to blow up at Louis like that. It was of bad taste to scare him like that, especially considering his condition. But Harry was scared. And if Louis tried to die one more time Harry would’ve lost it. 

It was incredible how attached Harry was to Louis. While the first few encounters were merely Harry’s natural humanity caring for Louis, he had really become wrapped around Louis’ finger. Tears had been rolling down his cheeks with every groan Louis had made while walking, and he could’ve screamed at how helpless he felt when Louis fell. He wished there was a way for him to explain to Louis how he felt about him.

Not now, he thought. Not while he’s in so much pain.

Maybe not ever. Maybe he had had a crush on Louis, but that doesn’t meant it was returned; especially considering his magic didn’t work very well on Louis. Besides, this infatuation very well might have been result of Louis being the first human he had seen in hundreds of years. He wasn’t special, just new. 

Harry knew that was a lie.

Regardless, Harry had blown up at Louis out of concern and maybe out of love in some sick way. Louis was going to survive this and Harry was personally going to ensure that Louis lived to a very old age and was very happy right till the very end. If they could evade the crew, they would assume Louis had died on the island. And then the two of them could go from there. 

Louis had been silent ever since Harry had raised his voice at him. His eyes were shut and after a while, Harry wondered if Louis had fallen asleep. While this wasn’t an ideal spot for them to stop, there was a group of bats nearby which would make their presence known at night, it was safe enough for Louis to rest. Besides, Harry was going to protect him. 

When Harry went to try to find some palms to lay over Louis, his hand shot out and grabbed for Harrys. Harry was shocked whenever Louis touched him, his skin was always warm and soft. “Please don’t leave.” 

Harry shook his head, laying down on his back next to the pirate. “I won’t.” Louis visibly relaxed. 

“How far is the clearing? I might be able to make it.”

Harry sighed and turned on his side. He propped his head up with one hand and debated wrapping the other arm around Louis’ slender waist. “Not very far at all. But you should rest some more. Well leave at sunset.” 

Louis’ natural response would have been to argue, according to the face he made, but he made no attempt to. Harry wrapped his arm around Louis’ waist, and watched joyfully at how the man leaned into his body. “Tell me... something.”

”Very descriptive of you.”

”Shut up. Tell me a story. A mermaid story.”

”All my stories are mermaid stories. I’m a mermaid.”

Louis sighed exasperatedly, frowning deeply when he opened his eyes and looked over at Harry’s. Harry felt his own heart skip a beat.

”Then tell me what it’s like to have a tail.” 

Harry smiled and looked up as he tried to recall having legs for comparison. He raised his shoulders. “Well, for starters, I had amazing legs. Absolutely devastating that they’re gone now. Like, if I could choose a fish head over a fish tail then I would do it in a second.”

Louis laughed loudly, shaking his head as if the thought of it was terrible. Harry grinned and shifted positions, letting his head rest on Louis’ good shoulder. “I suppose that would have a lesser effect on men.” Louis said. 

”I disagree. You haven’t seen those legs.” Harry chuckled at how Louis laughed again, and he couldn’t help but lean in and nuzzle into Louis’ hair for a moment. He just seemed so soft, Harry couldn’t help himself. But when Louis froze, Harry tried to refrain his sigh and moved back to the position Louis was comfortable with. “Umm but..my tail. I’m not a fan, I suppose. Would not recommend it. I miss being able to walk and painting my toenails. Strangely enough, I feel sometimes like my legs are tied together, but when I try to spread them out I can’t. It has to be psychological.”

”So how do you, like..” Louis was looking at the tip of Harry’s tail, and Harry was blushing at having his eyes on him. It was obvious that Louis’ human-modesty lead him to try not to ever look anywhere below Harry’s waist; this was almost erotic.

“What?”

”Nothing.”

”No, tell me. You can ask me anything.”

”How do you.. relieve yourself.”

Harry laughed loud, making Louis jump and then blush furiously. Harry held his hand up as he calmed down, making Louis pout.

”Its the same.”

”Its the same.” His tone hinted at sarcasm. Harry nodded.

”Yes.”

”Okay.”

Harry chuckled and shook his head, sitting up and trying to ignore how Louis shivered when he moved. Having been laying there for a while, Harry decided it was time to check on Louis’ wounds. He knew, and had seen, that his leg had began bleeding while he walked, meaning that healed tissue had been broken with the journey. 

Harry braced himself and gave Louis a warning before beginning to peel away the leaves wrapped around his thigh. Louis let out a soft whimper.

Harry could’ve cried when he inspected the wound. Granted, he had bled, but it still looked relatively just as healed as it had in the morning. Louis had no infection and no new injury, Harry could heal him from this.

He kept himself busy by washing out the wound with the clear freshwater before replacing the leaves with new ones. When Louis’ winces made Harry squirm and furrow his eyebrows, Harry requested that Louis tell him a pirate story. Louis grinned and shook his head despite his condition, fisting some dirt and looking up at the canopy. 

”They worshipped me on that ship. I suppose it’s the kind of lifestyle I’m used to, having been royalty, but it seemed more genuine on the ship. I was the Captain, and everyone on that ship looked up to me. Because I knew what I was doing, I guess.” Harry smiled a little. He could imagine Louis dressed in the finest fabrics, lounging one of the feathered beds that Harry had seen in the captains quarters of sunken ships. For a moment, Harry let himself imagine what it would be like to walk into Louis’ quarters and find him laying on one of those beds. He imagined  climbing right onto the bed and straddling Louis’ lap, maybe even stealing his hat. 

“Anywhere we docked would know  my ship from its sails. And I would have first pick at anything we found or took. Really, I was a king.”

And Louis would tell Harry about the next port they were headed to while Harry placed languid kisses to his bearded jaw. He could make Louis feel like a king. 

“I didn’t deserve it, you know.” Harry’s fantasy faded at the starkness of Louis’ remark. Harry frowned and lifted his eyes from wrapping new leaves around Louis leg.

”Of course didn’t deserve it. As nice as it is to have you here, it must be terrible to have your life uprooted like that.” 

“What? I didn’t deserve to be Captain, is what I meant.” 

Harry couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment in his chest at Louis’ remark. He had, deep down, hoped Louis would say something about how being on the island wasn’t so bad of a punishment. But he was being ridiculous. Harry took a deep breath. Stay calm, he reminded himself, these feelings will pass.

”Thats ridiculous, love.” Harry warned, turning away from the man and shifting to sit with his tail in the shallow water. Louis didn’t respond, but Harry could feel his eyes on him, burning his skin with their presence. While he was just next to Louis, not having his eyes on him made Harry feel lonely.

Harry was partially glad that Louis didn’t try to argue with him. Because, Harry would simply tell him that he deserved to be treated like a king. And when Louis argued again (because of course he would), Harry would prove his point by treating him like a king, right there on the forest floor in front of a family of bats. 

Which reminded Harry: they had to leave.

With a sigh, the ever-responsible mermaid turned to ask Louis if he was ready to leave. But when he looked, Louis was still watching him. He expected his eyes to dart away in fear- like they always did. But they didn’t. Time passed quickly but blue still met green, and Louis’ lips were bitten red. 

“I’ve never killed a mermaid, Harry. I’ve never seen one before you.” It wasn’t what Harry was expecting, but his voice was vulnerable- indicative of how vulnerable the statement was. Harry realized, Louis had been holding onto this persona to remind Harry not to try anything with him. Since the beginning, he had screamed slurs of warning at how dangerous he was to keep Harry away. But now, Louis was letting the truth out into the open. Why? Was he thanking Harry for taking care of him? Was he telling him that he trusted him? “Everything is a lie. Ive never killed anyone. Im not...dangerous.”

Harry couldn’t say he knew this, but he wasn’t surprised either.

**_Day Fifty Three_ **

“Everything is a lie. I’ve never killed anyone. Im not...dangerous.” If there was anyone in the world who deserved to know the truth about Louis, it was Harry. Harry, the mermaid who hated water and who hated his own tail. Harry, who took care of Louis without being asked. Harry, who was gentle and soft, and who was lonely and afraid. 

“When I was thrown out, I was very young. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Everyone in Doncaster knew that I was a homosexual; if I  didn’t leave quickly, I would’ve been killed. So I went to the docks.” 

Harry was quiet, leaning over in interest. 

“I joined a few merchant ships, got traded and tossed around as a  workman, essentially a slave. And then, one day I found myself on the Sea Stag.” After what felt like forever, Louis looked away from Harry. “Somehow, Captain Black Stag.. the first one, that is, had never been seen by his crew. I suppose it had been a fear tactic; I never quite understood how it worked. Only one person had been chosen to deliver his messages to the rest of the crew, and after a couple months aboard I was chosen to replace the existing one.

”Black Stag took a shining to me, I s’ppose, he had me around all the time. He was kind and all to me, but ruthless to everyone else. He’d burn down villages just for fun, and the whole crew would join in.

”Then, one day, he died.  Just like that. And I, a servant at most, had been left in control in his will. Over the years the story became jumbled, old crew left and new crew joined, until it was assumed that I was Captain Black Stag. I was the one from the stories: the dreadful murderer and malicious king of the seas. 

“So, you see, I’ve never done a thing of that nature. When I became captain, I wanted to follow in his footsteps.. but I couldn’t. I’d dock my crew at a port and see some children outside and cancel the pillaging. Id threaten to kill unfaithful crew and never go through with it. Eventually, everyone grew tired of it. They rose up, and now I’m here. And I deserve it, because I’m a shitty pirate.”

Louis ended his story with a shrug, looking up to see if Harry would laugh at him. In a way, if Harry had laughed it would’ve made him more comfortable. He could’ve made a joke out of it. But when he looked up, Harry was frowning and he was much closer than Louis expected. Louis took a sharp breath in surprise when Harry’s warm hand cupped around his jaw. He let his eyes close after a moment, lips parting at how soft the action was.

”Youre a shitty pirate, but a good man.” Harry said, his smile soft when Louis blinked his eyes open. Louis didn’t know what to say, and he tried to blink away he tears which had welled in his eyes before Harry noticed and took his hand away. 

But Harry didn’t take his hand away. He brushed away a fallen tear on Louis’ cheek before sliding his hand down and pulling Louis into a hug. His bare chest was warm, and he smelled of strawberries and sand. 

Louis wasn’t sure he deserved to have met Harry. 


End file.
